Mishap at Moscow's parade amid speculations of false narratives
On Thursday, the 21st Victory Day parade was celebrated. A parade marched through Moscow's Red Square, featuring over 9,000 soldiers. During the procession, an unfortunate mishap occurred involving one of the soldiers.
3:16 PM EDT, May 9, 2024
Many reports on alleged attacks and aggression from the Ukrainian side, broadcasted by Russian and Belarusian media, are likely untrue. These reports might be part of an information campaign by the Russian Federation.
This marked Putin's 21st Victory Day parade as President of Russia, and it was undeniably one of the most subdued.
The Russian Ministry of Defense had previously announced that the parade would feature over 9,000 soldiers and about 70 units of military equipment.
During the parade through Red Square, a video captured one of the soldiers losing his shoe. Remarkably, none of the other participants stopped to retrieve it.
Only one tank, the T-34, graced Red Square. As is tradition, this World War II veteran led the display of motorized forces. This year’s presentation was noticeably more modest than in past years.
The crowd was also treated to a view of several armored vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles. Additionally, they could admire the Iskander-M missile complexes, the S-400 air defense systems, and the Yars strategic missile systems.
The parade on Red Square was capped off with an air show.
Putin's company during the parade
In the stands, Putin was joined by nine foreign leaders. The attendees included the leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Also present were the president of Laos, Thongloun Sisoulith; the president of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel; and Guinea-Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embola.
