Russia will hold a scaled-back Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May, without military hardware for the first time in almost two decades due to fears of a long-range attack by Ukrainian drones.

The defence ministry said no armoured vehicles or missile systems would roll across Red Square during the parade, which marks the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany, citing “the current operational situation”.

Cadets from military schools and youth military institutions would also not take part, it added.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that “Ukrainian terrorist activity” was the reason behind the changes in the annual parade.

Russian military bloggers and analysts have suggested that Moscow fears Ukrainian long-range drone strikes targeting military hardware before or during the parade.

Ruslan Leviev, an independent analyst, told the TV Rain outlet: “Equipment is vulnerable even during the preparation stage, as columns park and rehearse outside Moscow on open training grounds that are easy to hit with drones. Hitting soldiers in the city centre among tourists would not be so straightforward.”

Since Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Victory Day parades have been toned down, with reduced military displays and fewer foreign guests.

Last year’s 80th anniversary celebration was a notable exception, with at least 27 foreign heads of state in attendance and a full procession of tanks, rocket launchers and drones rolling across Red Square.

Over Putin’s more than two-and-a-half decades in power, Victory Day has emerged as the centrepiece of his vision of Russian identity. But since the start of Russia’s fighting in Ukraine, the Kremlin’s mass propaganda machine has given it new meaning, with Putin using the celebrations to justify the current war.

This year’s scaled-back parade comes as Ukrainian long-range drones continue to strike Russian territory on an almost daily basis.

The attacks have largely focused on industrial and military sites, including oil infrastructure and logistics hubs, at times triggering mass fires and civilian evacuations.

In the southern Russian city of Tuapse, repeated drone strikes on a major oil refinery triggered huge fires, covering the city in toxic black rain and forcing authorities to urge residents to stay indoors.

Overnight, Ukrainian attack drones also struck a oil pumping station in Russia’s Perm region, deep in the Urals.

The Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Wednesday praised the “precision” of Ukraine’s Security Service, noting the targets had been hit from over 1,500km away. “We will continue to extend these ranges,” he wrote on X, adding that every strike was aimed at reducing Russia’s military industry, logistics and oil exports.

But analysts caution against overstating the economic impact of the strikes. A surge in oil prices driven by the Middle East conflict has, in recent months, kept Russia’s energy revenues elevated, allowing Moscow to reap billions even as some of its refineries come under attack.