Russia is rehearsing for May 9th - with Putin's "doomsday plane" and jets in a Z formation

Created: 05/08/2022, 06:09

Russian Army tanks roll during a dress rehearsal for the 'Victory Day' military parade.

The parade takes place on May 9th.

© Alexander Zemlianichenko/dpa

In Moscow, the dress rehearsal before the military parade on May 9, “Victory Day”, took place on Red Square.

Putin's speech is eagerly awaited.

Moscow - May 9 is approaching: a date that has been observed for weeks during the Ukraine war.

Because that's when the traditional military parade takes place in Moscow to mark the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany.

The dress rehearsal in the midst of the escalating Ukraine conflict took place on Saturday (May 7).

Thousands of soldiers will march through Moscow's Red Square on Monday, the 77th anniversary, followed by tanks, armored vehicles and rocket launchers and accompanied by an air show.

The parade is designed to show military might as Russia wages a military offensive in Ukraine that has cast doubt on the image of the Russian army.

Experts had initially predicted a quick victory for the Russian armed forces in Ukraine.

Instead, the military operation has already lasted more than two months and above all makes logistical problems clear.

Faced with resistance from Ukrainian troops and their military support from the West, the Russian army failed at the gates of Kiev.

The General Staff had to revise its objectives and is now concentrating its offensive on the east and south of the country.

Russia's military parade in Moscow on May 9: Putin's speech expected on the Ukraine war

President Vladimir Putin is set to deliver a much-anticipated speech in which he is expected to issue fresh warnings to the West.

Many Russians think it is possible that he will announce a general mobilization with a view to Ukraine, even if the Kremlin has denied any such plans.

It is expected that Putin will also want to make people forget the sinking of the Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, 77 aircraft will take part in an air show over Red Square - including the "doomsday plane", a special construction of the Ilyushin II-80, from which Russia's president can rule his country from the air in the event of a nuclear war.

Video: Summary of the latest news on the Ukraine war

Russia celebrates "Victory Day" on May 9: fighter jets are supposed to form the Z symbol for the Ukraine war

Several nuclear-capable missile systems such as the RS-24 ICBM and the shorter-range Iskander missile system will be on display at the parade.

Eight Mig-29 fighter jets are said to fly over Red Square to form the letter Z - the symbol of Russian military action in Ukraine.

In Berlin, meanwhile, there is a general argument about symbols on the days of remembrance.

The military parade on May 9 only became a tradition after the end of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Putin turned it into a televised event designed to both intimidate Russia's opponents and keep people's patriotism alive.

In addition to the parade in Moscow, there are also commemorative events in dozens of other cities.