Putin has no tanks to display on victory parades, Russia cancels them: Report

Russia-Ukraine War: The decision was taken “because they simply have not enough functioning tanks to run up and down the road,” the report said.

Military parades that were scheduled to take place in May have been cancelled after governors of two Russian regions cited security concerns, although report in Newsweek claimed that the parades were cancelled owing to lack of military equipment. Victory Day parades are held throughout Russia on May 9.

Russia-Ukraine War: Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Reuters)

Governors of Kursk and Belgorod, which borders Ukraine, scrapped their own events markingthe day. Kursk governor Roman Starovoyt said that there would be no parade in the regional capital because of "security reasons," news outlet RBC reported. Meanwhile, Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of Belgorod Oblast, said that the parade “would also not be held in order not to provoke the enemy with a large number of vehicles and soldiers”.

However, Newsweek reported that the decision was taken “because they simply have not enough functioning tanks to run up and down the road.”

"Every Russian tank is needed at the front and all remaining parade vehicles are needed for the larger cities,"the report said. Quoting Maria Drutska, who covers Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the report said, “Is it because there is nothing left to show at the parade besides T-34? Or they don't want extra charity fireworks? Any other reasons?”

Russian regions which border Ukraine, such as Belgorod and Kursk, have blamed Ukraine for regular rocket and drone attacks on military facilities. Both had held the parades last year.