May 9 Victory Day parade in St. Petersburg will reportedly lack air show

In St. Petersburg, the annual May 9 Victory Day parade will take place this year with no air show, reports Petersburg publication Fontanka.

Official sources have not confirmed this information.

The publication notes that as of April 24, pilots with the Western Military District hadn’t conducted a single training flight over Palace Square. Fontanka also writes that the Western Military District hasn’t released any announcements about the parade. By mid-April, the dates of parade rehearsals are usually known.

On April 22, Baza, citing two sources, wrote that Victory Day organizers were considering holding the parade in Moscow, instead of Petersburg, and without an air show. Organizers have reportedly not made a final decision. One source suggested that the decision to scrap this year’s air show stemmed from the fact that authorities “don’t want to divert pilots and technicians from fulfilling their combat duty in the special military operation zone.”

Presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that “it’s still premature to make such announcements.” He added that “Parade preparations are underway, it will take place. It will be a very important event, traditional for May 9. We’ll tell you in a timely manner which elements the parade will include, meanwhile it’s too early to talk about it.”

Victory Day, celebrated on May 9, marks the USSR’s victory in World War II.