Russia Victory Day

Russian President Vladimir Putin is overseeing a military parade commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II on Red Square. Security was tight in Moscow as Putin was set to speak at the parade, even as a U.S.-brokered three-day ceasefire eased concerns about possible Ukrainian attempts to disrupt the festivities. Putin, in power for more than a quarter-century, has used Victory Day, Russia’s most important secular holiday, to showcase the country’s military might and rally support for his military action in Ukraine, now in its fifth year. But this year, the parade will take place without tanks, missiles and other heavy weapons.