Military Parade in Moscow: Putin’s Way of Showing the West the Limits of His Isolation

Today’s military parade in Moscow, marking the 80th anniversary of victory in World War II, served Russian President Vladimir Putin as an opportunity to further ease Western pressure and attract more foreign state delegations compared to the previous two years.

Photo: Putin during today's address in Moscow

Russia's aggression against Ukraine changed Moscow’s position globally. Russia became isolated by the West and much of the world. Since then, Putin has been working to break that blockade and strengthen his position, despite being wanted by the International Criminal Court in The Hague for war crimes in Ukraine.

This isolation was vividly illustrated during the 2023 parade, when on one of the most significant days in Russian history, Putin hosted only the leaders of Belarus, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. The parade featured just a single World War II tank.

Compared to previous years, this was a major setback for Putin. He had few guests, and modern Russian combat systems were absent from Red Square. It seemed as though all available forces were deployed in Ukraine or stationed across Russia.

A year later, Putin saw more success. The list of leaders attending the parade expanded. Although the Armenian leadership did not attend this time, the guest list grew to include the leaders of Turkmenistan, Cuba, Laos, and Guinea-Bissau, in addition to those who returned from the previous year.

Still, even then, it was clear that Putin remained internationally isolated. The guest list was unimpressive, and the military parade was far more modest than in the years before the invasion of Ukraine.

From BRICS to Trump

By the end of 2024, Putin’s position began to shift. The list of his interlocutors grew—though it still lacked many key Western states. In fact, with some of them, diplomatic relations were nearly non-existent.

At the end of October, Putin hosted the 16th BRICS summit. On that occasion, he welcomed dozens of leaders from around the world. High-level delegations from China, India, South Africa, Brazil, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Ethiopia, and Turkey arrived in Kazan.

These guests didn’t come to Kazan to defy the West or submit to Putin. Most were driven by economic interest, and some by a determination not to take sides in the conflict between the Kremlin and the West. Putin did not win their approval for a new global financial system to replace the post–World War II order dominated by Washington. Still, since then, the West has not kept Russia and Putin in complete isolation.

The war in Ukraine has continued to reshape the world. With Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the West is experiencing a number of reversals. Trump blamed Ukraine for the war, claimed that Kyiv was misusing American funds, and criticized Europe for failing to match Washington’s financial commitment.

Trump went further—he began negotiations with the Russians. Talks included the lifting of sanctions and cooperation in various sectors of the economy. Essentially, this meant choosing Putin over many European leaders.

A Parade with Guests from Around the World

This year’s parade gave Putin another chance to expand his circle of partners. According to Russian media, 29 delegations attended, including Slovakia—a NATO and EU member. Among the 29 were also the internationally unrecognized South Abkhazia and South Ossetia. In addition to regular guests from post-Soviet states, Russian media reported that the leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, China, the Congo, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea-Bissau, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Palestine, Serbia, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe were present.

Regardless of Putin's talk about fighting Nazism, the primary goal of the parade was to bring together those willing to choose Moscow over the West. A striking example is Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić—a long-time Western favorite and alleged guarantor of stability in the former Yugoslavia. Vučić traveled to Moscow to gain support for his policies, strengthen ties with Russia, and defy the West—right after meeting with European Enlargement Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič and attempting to connect with Trump in still-unexplained events in Florida.

Vučić’s presence at the commemoration of the victory over Nazism would be commendable if it were sincere and if he truly believed in who stood on the right side in World War II. In Serbia, Chetniks—who fled alongside Ustaše from the Red Army and Yugoslav partisans in 1945—are being rehabilitated and glorified. Vučić’s presence in Moscow may inspire regime-aligned historians in Serbia to explain why the so-called “anti-fascist” Chetniks were fleeing from Soviet and Yugoslav anti-fascists.

Vučić isn’t the only one among Putin’s guests who could face uncomfortable questions. For example, Putin could ask the guests from Myanmar about their treatment of Rohingya Muslims. Or Ethiopia's leaders about their role in partitioning neighboring Somalia. He could ask his frequent guest Milorad Dodik about his stance on Muslims, Bosniaks, war criminals, and respect for the law. And then ask them all whether any of that reflects the spirit of the fight against Nazism.

This year’s parade was significantly larger than in previous years. Media reports say about 11,000 Russian soldiers took part. Alongside them were troops from 13 other countries, including Chinese soldiers—their first appearance since 2015. Russian media noted that there were three times as many vehicles on Red Square this year compared to last, with the inclusion of drones used in the war against Ukraine. Russian ballistic missiles, artillery, and tanks were also once again on display.

Today, Putin once again sent a message to the West and the world—especially about Ukraine. In his speech, he justified the aggression against Ukraine by trying to draw a connection to Moscow’s World War II policies. It was a message that Russia believes it has the right to invade neighboring countries. Tragically and grotesquely, Putin also claimed yesterday that the role of the United Nations and international law would increase in the coming era.

The article was previously published on nap.ba

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