June 17, 2025: This year Russia celebrated the 80th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War, known elsewhere as World War II. The May 9th Victory Day events are held in Moscow and cities throughout Russia. This year's parades were more somber because of the heavy losses Russia has suffered in Ukraine. Some naval infantry brigades marched. These brigades were sent to Ukraine to fight and most of the naval infantry were killed or wounded. The reconstituted version of these units that marched this year were notable for how young the men were. Then there were the teenage high school contingents of those who had volunteered to undergo military training programs while still in school. This would enable these young men to join the army with a head start on other recruits. The parents of these young men were not enthusiastic about their sons going to war. The parents knew of the high casualty rates and some saw this as a victory parade for the dead. Many Russians are openly criticizing the war and public approval of the Special Operation in Ukraine has hit a record low of 30 percent.

Since Ukraine is considered part of Russia, the celebrations officially praised the three year war effort there. While Josef Stalin celebrated victory against an invader, Vladimir Putin seeks to justify Russians invading a neighbor. Putin insists that Russia is fighting NATO aggression in Ukraine and, like the Great Patriotic War, defending Russia from hostile foreigners. The Victory Day parades also celebrated over a thousand years of Russians defending their motherland.

Putin sees these events as an opportunity to improve morale after three years of pointless warfare in Ukraine and increasing privation at home because of the economic sanctions. There isn’t much to celebrate but Vladimir Putin is making an impressive effort to show that everything is fine and that Russia will always prevail.

Fifteen years ago all these theatrics were unnecessary. Back in 2010, Russia resumed the Cold War custom of holding large military parades to commemorate the Russian victory in World War II. Since the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, Russia dropped the military displays for these victory parades, which became much smaller in size overall. Despite that, in 2010 there were parades in 24 cities, involving 38,000 troops, hundreds of military vehicles plus dozens of aircraft overhead. Nearly ten million people came out to witness the parades and even more caught it on TV or the Internet. There was no problem with the crowds, in part because about 200,000 security personnel were on hand, including 4,700 Cossacks to maintain order.

The first of these big parades in 2010 saw 11,000 troops and hundreds of military vehicles assembled for the May 9th parade in Moscow. Commemorating the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II has always been a big deal, if only because 18 percent of the population died during that conflict. The Russians refer to World War II as The Great Patriotic War and the fact that there were 29 million dead was kept secret until the 1990s. This was partly out of embarrassment and partly not to demoralize the population. Russia also did not want to let the outside world know just how badly the Russians had been hurt.

The large military contingent also included many current Russian soldiers wearing World War II uniforms and carrying period weapons. This included World War II era armored vehicles, particularly dozens of the famous T-34 tank. The assembled veterans were visibly moved by this impressive demonstration of the now departed Red Army of the Soviet Union. Overhead, 127 modern aircraft put on an eight minute flyover and displayed their maneuverability. The parade took about 70 minutes to complete but was weeks in preparations, with many people coming down in the evening to watch various contingents practice.

The end of the Soviet Union saw the armed forces lose 80 percent of its manpower within a decade, most equipment rotted away from lack of use or maintenance, and there was little money to buy new stuff. That has changed in the past few years, and starting in 2010 the Victory Parade has become an effort to showcase the new military, while honoring past accomplishments.

The Great Patriotic War defined Russian attitudes during the Cold War because of the enormous casualties and devastation it inflicted. But now the memory, along with the few remaining veterans, are fading fast. The end of the Cold War, the Soviet Union, and communism in the early 1990s was another shock that is still sinking in. The government revival of the military participation in the victory parade was a novelty the first year, but enthusiasm faded along with the memories of new generations for whom World War II and the Soviet Union are ancient history.