Russia to mark war anniversary with parade, but no equipment

The parade, traditionally held on May 9, the day the Soviet Union signed Germany’s surrender, will this year mark the 81st anniversary of victory in what Russians call the Great Patriotic War.

One of the top holidays on the Russian calendar, it allows the dwindling number of veterans to gather in streets with medals on display and is accompanied by an outpouring of emotion marked by feature films, documentaries and wartime music.

But this year, the ministry said, no military hardware will pass through the square.

“Military personnel from the higher military educational institutions of all types and individual branches of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will take part in the parade as part of the marching column,” the statement said.

The statement said representatives of certain educational institutions would not participate “and nor will a column of military equipment take part in the military parade in connection with the current operational situation”.

It said the parade would put on display the work of servicemen from all branches of the military taking part in the “special military operation” as the Kremlin calls the conflict.

It said this would include Russia’s Strategic Missile Forces, Aerospace Forces, and servicemen on naval ships. Air force planes, it said, would perform a flypast and, at the end of the parade, display the white, blue and red colours of the national flag.

More than four years into the war, Russian forces remain engaged in a slow-moving advance through eastern Ukraine.

Top military officials say that Moscow’s forces are advancing on all fronts and the Defence Ministry frequently announces the capture of villages, including two on Tuesday.

U.S.-brokered talks aimed at edging toward a settlement are stalled, with Washington focused on the Middle East conflict.

President Vladimir Putin says Moscow seeks the capture of the entire Donbas region, made up of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including parts it has failed to capture. Ukraine rejects any notion of withdrawing from areas it still holds.

(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Stephen Coates)