UK: Putin Expected To Cancel Russian Holiday Parade Over ‘Security Concerns’

Vladimir Putin is expected to cancel Russia’s annual holiday parade at the end of July amid growing security concerns caused by Ukrainian drones, according to the UK.

In its latest update on social media, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) predicted that Putin would once again cancel celebrations around the “Day of the Russian Navy”, which is meant to take place on the last weekend of July.

It comes after Ukraine launched a series of successful long-range missile campaigns which have been causing havoc within Russia.

Putin marked the Day of the Russian Navy every year between 2017 and 2024 with a personal review of warships in the Baltic Sea off St Petersburg.

Ships from other fleets around the country would attend along with representatives from other nations.

But the main celebration was reduced in scale in 2024 and the 2025 parade was cancelled altogether, “almost certainly due to force protection concerns”, according to the MoD.

“This year, Russia’s main naval parade has highly likely been cancelled again due to continued security concerns,” the UK intelligence experts said.

It pointed out that a Ukrainian successfully attacked the Baltic Fleet near St Petersburg on June 3, which could have increased wider worries about safety.

The MoD said: “In the absence of the main naval parade, it is likely that Russia will hold a maritime exercise similar to its 2025 Exercise ‘July Storm’.”

The Kremlin ordered its navy to hold a series of drills last year in place of the usual grand display.

Putin also scaled back his annual Victory Day parade in May over fears about Ukrainian long-range strikes and battlefield challenges, in an apparent admission that the war is not going well for Russia.

The Russian president admitted in June that there are “problems” on the Ukrainian frontline, as his army fails to seize any more land.

Putin currently holds just a fifth of Ukraine’s sovereign territory, four and a half years after he first launched his illegal invasion.

A report from policy research organisation CSIS (Centre for Strategic and International Studies) also suggested this week that Russian losses now outnumber Ukrainian losses by a ratio of eight to one.

It comes after Putin ordered a “night of horror” on Russia’s European neighbour last night, according to Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha.

Russian strikes killed at least 17 people and injured dozens by launching 74 missiles and almost 500 drones across Ukraine.

Sybiha urged allies not to delay punishing Russia, adding: “War criminal Putin can only wage a vile and terroristic war against civilians, women and children. Because in his war against Ukraine’s Defence Forces, he cannot achieve a single result.

“Such strikes are grave war crimes and we are informing all partners and international organisations about them, calling for accountability and strong responses.”

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