Putin's Big Naval Parade Loses Warships, Subs: Local Media

A portion of Russia's annual naval parade in St. Petersburg has been canceled for the first time in eight years, local media reported.

President Vladimir Putin in 2017 signed a decree reestablishing the tradition of holding the Main Naval Parade in St. Petersburg. Since then, he has paraded his warships in honor of the Day of the Russian Navy. Annual celebrations are held on the last Sunday in July. This year's celebrations fall on July 28.

This year, the main parade in Kronstadt has been canceled, while a smaller event will take place in St. Petersburg in the Neva River, newspapers Fontanka and Novye Izvestia reported on Wednesday.

It would mark the first partial cancellation of the event since 2017, Novye Izvestia reported, but there has been no official announcement about the Kronstadt portion of the parade. Newsweek has contacted Russia's Defense Ministry for comment by email.

Kronstadt city administration informed local officials about the cancellation via text message, Novye Izvestia reported, citing an unnamed source.

"Dear leaders, good afternoon. I inform you that there will be no naval parade in Kronstadt. The rest of the festive events will take place according to plan," the message said.

Just 12 small Russian Navy ships and vessels will be paraded down the Neva this year, while combat ships and small submarines will be anchored and moored in the center of St. Petersburg.

There will also be no nuclear submarines in the event this year, the source said.

Last year, 45 ships, vessels and submarines and about 3,000 military personnel took part in the parade, Russian media reported.

The first training session for the parade took place along the Neva on Tuesday, and military vessels are moored along the embankments, Fontanka reported.

In 2017, another naval parade at Kronstadt to mark Russia's Victory Day was disrupted when an unannounced visit by the USS Carney destroyer to a Baltic Sea port spooked Russia's Northern Fleet commanders, Fontanka reported at the time.

Russia's navy has been targeted by Ukrainian forces throughout the war with Ukraine after Putin's invasion on February 24, 2022. Kyiv's forces have taken out some of Russia's prized vessels, claiming responsibility for the sinking of the flagship Moskva.

Amid the attacks, Russia relocated much of its fleet from annexed Crimea to Novorossiysk in Russia's Krasnodar region and its naval port in Feodosia further east on the annexed peninsula in October 2023, satellite images showed.

Ukraine also has disabled one-third of Putin's prized Black Sea Fleet, according to Dmytro Pletenchuk, former Ukrainian Navy spokesperson.

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