Russia's Victory Day parade looks dramatically different this year: Here's how

Russian President Vladimir Putin oversaw the Victory Day parade in Moscow, effectively dispelling reports that he was living in an underground bunker amid assassination fears.

The United States (U.S.) brokered a three-day ceasefire between the warring parties which eased concerns about a possible Ukrainian attack on the parade, commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

According to AFP, this year marks the first instance in the last 20 years that the Victory Day parade was held without military hardware showoff except for a flyby by fighter jets. There were no tanks, missiles and other heavy weaponry.

This comes after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that a temporary ceasefire has been agreed upon by Russian and Ukraine and expressed support for Victory Day celebrations.

He declared Red Square temporarily closed to Ukrainian strikes, reports Euronews.

He added that both parties agreed to exchange prisoners and hoped that the development could be the "beginning of the end” of war.

A Kremlin Spokesperson said, “We don’t need anyone’s permission to be proud of Victory Day.”

The security was airtight to prevent any mishap. Speaking at the ceremony in Red Square, Putin took a jab at the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and described Ukraine as an “aggressive force.”

It is pertinent to note that Russia launched a military offensive against Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

The 73-year-old Russian president said he was fighting a just war and accused NATO of arming and supporting Ukraine.

Putin said, “Victory has always been and will always be ours.”