A single tank (WWII-era) participated in Russia’s May 9th parade

On 9 May 2023, significantly fewer units of Russian military equipment, including just one tank from the World War II era, participated in the parade on Red Square in Moscow than in previous years. This observation was made by Oliver Alexander, an analyst referenced by Radio Liberty, based on parade footage. According to Alexander's data, only 51 units of equipment rolled through Red Square this year. Last year, when the parade was already reduced compared to times before Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, 131 combat machines participated. In 2021, there were 197, meaning a reduction of almost four times compared to the last year before full-scale war.

The parade then skipped right to the end with the 3 RS-24 Yars lead by a BTR-82A and flanked by 6 Tigr-Ms. This skipped their usual display of their unmanned ground vehicles. (Total Vehicle Count: 48) pic.twitter.com/EJWCCQujvI

— Oliver Alexander (@OAlexanderDK) May 9, 2023

The parade itself lasted about 45 minutes, including a troop review and a speech by Vladimir Putin. In previous years, the duration of parades reached up to one and a half hours, but they then included an aerial segment, which was cancelled this year. Alexander, like many other commentators, noticed the absence of modern tanks. This is the first parade since 2007 to take place without heavy armored vehicles.

Aerial displays for parades in Moscow and other Russian cities were cancelled