Fighter jets in a ‘Z’ formation ripped through the skies over Moscow today as Russia puts the final preparations on its Victory Day parade – an annual show of strength that Putin will use to drum up support for the war in Ukraine.
Eight MiG-29 jets formed the Z, a symbol that is now synonymous with the war and which is expected to conclude the fly-past on May 9, marking the day the Nazis surrendered to the Soviets at the end of World War Two.
They were joined by an Ilyushin Il-80 – a modified passenger jet known as Putin’s ‘doomsday plane’ because it is where he will rule the country from in the event of nuclear Armageddon – which has not featured in past parades.
Despite the addition of the doomsday jet, the Victory Day parade is set to be markedly smaller than in previous years because Russia has committed – and lost – so many of its military vehicles fighting in Ukraine.
Eight MiG-29 fighters form up into the shape of a ‘Z’ – a symbol that has become synonymous with Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine – as they take part in a rehearsal fly-past for the Victory Day parade due to take place on May 9
An Ilyushin Il-80 jet – a Soviet-era passenger plane modified as a government control centre – flies over the Kremlin. The plane is known as Putin’s ‘doomsday jet’ because it would allow him to remain in charge in the event of a nuclear attack
Su-25 bombers – trailing smoke in the colours of the Russian flag – are pictured flying over the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a short distance from the Red Square in Moscow
Three MiG-31 fighter jets take part in rehearsals for the Victory Day parade and are photographed against the spire of the Kremlin’s Clock tower, in Moscow
Russian MiG-29 jets of Swifts display team are joined by Su-30SM jet of the Russian Knights display team as they fly in formation above the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in downtown Moscow
A Tupolev Tu-95 nuclear-capable bomber is accompanied by Su-35S fighters as it takes part in a rehearsal fly-past in Moscow today, in preparation for the May 9 Victory Day parade
A Tupolev Tu-22 bomber is pictured between the spires of the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in central Moscow, just a short distance from the Red Square outside the Kremlin
The aerial display will feature just three Ka-52 and Mi-28 helicopters – compared to five each in 2020 and 2021 – because they are providing the mainstay of Russian helicopter forces in Ukraine.
In the case of the Ka-52, a large number have also been shot down with open-source analyst Oliver Alexander estimating that Russia has lost 10 per cent of its total fleet.
The aerial display will also not feature any combat-ready Su-30 or Su-34 jets, because they are also in use in Ukraine with many Su-34s having been shot from the skies.
Instead, the display will be bulked up with older Su and MiG models. It will also feature a formation of Soviet-era Tu-22M jets that did not take part in the 2021 display.
The additional aircraft mean the air display will actually be slightly larger than in previous years, with 77 jet as opposed to 76 in 2021 and 75 in 2020 – however, the ground element of the parade will be noticeably smaller.
Just 131 vehicles will parade past the Kremlin, a third fewer than the 197 vehicles that took part in 2021 and a little less than half the 234 that featured in 2020.
Most notably, the parade will feature far fewer combat-ready systems than it did in previous years – particularly when it comes to rocket artillery and tanks, both of which have taken heavy losses in Ukraine.
Rosgvardia units – known as Putin’s personal army – will also be reduced in this year’s parade, having been heavily used in early stages of the fighting and having suffered crippling losses.
Most of the parade will instead be made up of Russia’s next-generation weaponry that it has spent years developing and equipping with the latest technology, but which it has never produced in large-enough numbers to put into battle across its western border.
Russian MiG-31 fighter jets fly in formation above the Bolshoi Theatre (left), followed by four Sukhoi Su-24 fighters (right) which are pictured behind the Kremlin clock tower
A MiG-31 fighter jet (left) and an Il-78 air tanker (right) carry out a simulated mid-air refueling of a Tu-160 supersonic nuclear bomber above the State Historical Museum in Moscow, in preparation for the Victory Day parade
Three MiG-31 fighters and an Il-78 air tanker are seen simulating the refuelling of a Tu-160 strategic bomber against he backdrop of the Cathedral of the Annunciation inside the Kremlin, Moscow
Three Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft are seen flying above the spires of the Cathedral of the Annunciation in Moscow, while taking part in rehearsals for a May 9 aerial display
Su-25 bombers trail the colours of the Russian flag as the pass over the Kremlin Wall in Moscow during Victory Day parade rehearsals ahead of the main event, which will take place on May 9
A Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bomber – which is capable of carrying nukes – flies in formation alongside Su-35S fighters during Victory Day parade rehearsals in Moscow today
Russia has long-marked the day Hitler’s Germany surrendered with solemn events, but in recent years Putin has turned the day into a tub-thumping shows of nationalistic pride designed to project an image of strength to Russians, their allies and their enemies alike.
But as the war in Ukraine has faltered that mask has started to slip, leading some observers to predict that Putin may resort to a provocation to achieve a semblance of victory – such as declaring the city of Kherson to be independent – or to ramp up his rhetoric by openly declaring war.
Though Russia’s attack on Ukraine is widely viewed as a war, Putin has described it as a ‘special military operation’ to his own people. Officially declaring war would allow the Kremlin to take measures such as a general mobilisation of the population into the armed forces, which would be difficult to justify for a ‘special operation’.
Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s official spokesman, denied any such plans today – saying there is ‘no chance’ of it happening. But that will do little to quell fears, as Peskov also routinely predicted there would be no war in Ukraine right before Putin ordered his troops in.
The May 9 Victory Day is one of Russia’s most important national events – a remembrance of the enormous Soviet sacrifice made in defeating Nazi Germany in what is known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War.
An estimated 27 million Soviet citizens were killed in the 1941-45 war which left the Soviet Union devastated and almost every Soviet family mourning.
Putin has used previous Victory Day speeches to needle the West and showcase the firepower of Russia’s post-Soviet armed forces.
Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine has killed thousands of people, displaced millions more and raised fears of the most serious confrontation between Russia and the United States since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Putin says the “special military operation” in Ukraine is necessary because the United States was using Ukraine to threaten Russia and Moscow had to defend against the persecution of Russian-speaking people.
He casts the conflict as an inevitable confrontation with the United States, which he accuses of threatening Russia by meddling in its backyard and enlarging the NATO military alliance.
Ukraine says it is fighting an imperial-style land grab and that Putin’s claims of genocide are nonsense.
A Tu-95 long-range nuclear bomber and four Su-35 jets providing a fighter escort take part in Victory Day parade rehearsals
Three Ilyushin Il-76 military transport planes are seen flying over the spires of St Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow’s Red Square
Su-25 bombers fly trailing the colours of the Russian flag above the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in Moscow
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