No tanks at Russia WWII parade as Ukraine war takes toll

No military hardware will roll through Red Square in Russia's grand World War II victory parade next month -- a precautionary measure given the threat of Ukrainian retaliatory strikes, the Kremlin said Wednesday.

The move to a slimmed-down May 9 parade -- typically a bombastic display of Russia's military might presided over by President Vladimir Putin -- comes more than four years into Russia's war in Ukraine that has killed hundreds of thousands and drained vast economic resources.

In recent months, Kyiv's army has increased its long-range strikes against energy and military targets deep behind the front lines, regularly sending batches of drones towards the capital Moscow.

"Against the backdrop of this terrorist threat, every measure is being taken to minimise the danger," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Russia often labels Ukrainian strikes "terrorism." Kyiv says they are a legitimate response to Moscow's nightly barrages of its cities.

Several military schools, cadet corps, "as well as the military hardware column, will not be participating in this year's military parade due to the current operational situation", the Russian defence ministry had said Tuesday night on Telegram.

Last year, Ukraine sought to disrupt the flagship event by launching swarms of drones at Moscow, causing travel chaos with thousands of flights cancelled or delayed.

Russian pro-war blogger Alexander Sladkov said the decision was "logical, given the circumstances."

"It could easily not have taken place at all because of the terrorist threat," said another military correspondent Alexander Kots.

The May 9 parade commemorates Soviet victory over Nazi Germany and has become a huge set-piece event under Putin.

World War II, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War, is the central historical narrative of Putin's quarter-century rule.

The former KGB spy repeatedly invokes Soviet victory over Nazi Germany to justify his offensive against Ukraine, a claim dismissed by Kyiv as propaganda.

Last year, more than two dozen world leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, were in Moscow to watch a procession of thousands of troops -- some of whom fought in Ukraine.

After promising to swiftly defeat Ukraine in 2022, Russia's army has been bogged down in gruelling warfare for more than four years, losing huge numbers of men and military hardware.