Russia holds Victory Day parade in face of coronavirus fears and popular bewilderment

Rescheduled event went ahead in 28 cities across Russia despite continuing pandemic, as Ollie Carroll reports

Servicemen march during Wednesday’s 75th anniversary Victory Day military parade in Red Square

(Host Photo Agency/Getty)

Vladimir Putin was in a sombre mood on Wednesday as he presided over a military exhibition on Red Square to mark the 75th anniversary of victory in the Second World War.

The decision to hold the parade, as he knew, was controversial, with much of Russia still grappling with the first wave of the disease. At least 30 major cities cancelled their parades over health fears. In the parallel reality of Moscow outside the Red Square cordon, mayor Sergei Sobyanin was urging residents to stay at home, and watch the event from their TV sets.

In a brief and unusually understated address, the Russian president paid tribute to the sacrifices the Soviet Union made in defeating fascism – and offered only passing criticism of the west.