RUSSIA'S triumphant Victory Day parades are being cancelled across the country as sources suggest an embarrassing "tank shortage" is responsible for the last minute change.
Patriotic military parades are held each year on May 9 throughout Russia as a means of celebrating Russia's triumph over Nazi Germany in World War II.
These events are usually used by Putin to show off their best and biggest military equipment and garner national pride, however they are steadily and quietly being cancelled this year.
As the Ukraine war batters Russia's military arsenal, rumours are swirling that the parades were called off due to a lack of tanks to even put in the parades.
Governors in both the Kursk and Belgorod oblasts – which border Ukraine – have cancelled their flag-waving events.
Kursk governor Roman Starovoyt claimed it was for "security reasons," Russian media outlet RBC reported.
read more on Putin
Putin ally warns of ‘MONSTROUS’ nuclear war with US & he’s not sure who’d win
‘Cancer-stricken’ Vlad rumoured to be getting chemo, leaked Pentagon docs claim
Likewise, Yyacheslav 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".
Today, it was announced that authorities in Russian-annexed Crimea have called off their respective parades again citing security reasons.
Sergey Aksyonov who acts as the head of the region said they would be scrapping Victory Day as well as Labour Day marches on May 1.
"The authorities of the Republic of Crimea and the Hero City of Sevastopol have made a joint decision not to hold festive marches on May 1 [Labour Day], or 'Immortal Regiment' marches and a military parade on May 9 [Victory Day].
Most read in The Sun
Man Utd training ground chaos as ten emergency vehicles rush to Carrington
I found world's biggest spider with huge sac in my bananas from the supermarket
Strictly legend given a 'take it or leave it' deal to stay on the show
Nicola Bulley cops reveal what prompted new search of river where body found
"This decision was made due to security considerations," Aksyonov wrote.
It is a striking choice to make at a significant time when the Russian despot needs as much national support as he can get following his army's blunders in Ukraine.
It also comes among promises from Ukraine that they will take the illegally-annexed region back.
The leading event usually takes place in Moscow's Red Square to much fanfare, where an animated Putin parades his country's military might and evokes language of "The Great Patriotic War" against Germany.
It usually involves tanks, nuclear missiles and other hardware rumbling through Red Square as warplanes soar overhead.
However, Tendar – a leading Twitter account on updates concerning the Ukraine war – has speculated 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," he claimed.
Tendar then turned their attention to the bizarre last minute cancellation of the flight show at last year's scaled-back May 9 parade in Moscow.
"They claimed it was due to 'bad weather'," the account says, suggesting other reasons were behind the decision.
The plane was meant to be in a 77 strong fly-past over Red Square asbut it was called off despite there being clear skies in Moscow.
The plane had appeared during rehearsals for the parade but failed to appear on the day itself.
Read More on The Sun
My son was ‘edited out’ of school picture ‘for ridiculous uniform breach’
Britain’s Got Talent rejects who went on to find success after failed audition
It was speculated at the time that security reasons were behind the late decision due to fears of attacks on the aircraft amid Russia's murderous campaign in Ukraine.
The Moscow Times reported that it was up to each region's authorities to decide whether to go ahead with the parades and to take into consideration the local security situation.
Source: Read Full Article
