Fontanka: May 9 parade in St. Petersburg will be held without aviation

The Victory Day parade in St. Petersburg on May 9 will be held without aircraft, Fontanka reports , without specifying the source of the information.

There is no official confirmation of this information.

The publication notes that as of April 24, military pilots of the Western Military District have not conducted a single training flight over Palace Square. Fontanka also writes that the press service of the Western Military District has not issued a single press release dedicated to the parade. At the same time, the dates of rehearsals are usually known by mid-April.

On April 22, Baza, citing two sources, wrote that the organizers of the Victory Parade are considering an option in which it will be held in Moscow without an airborne component. However, the final decision has not yet been made. One of the sources suggested that the possible refusal of an airborne component is due to the fact that "they do not want to distract pilots and equipment from performing combat missions in the SVO zone."

Commenting on this information, the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov stated that "it is still too early to make such announcements." "Preparations for the Parade are underway, it will take place. This will be a very important event, traditional for May 9. And what elements the Parade will include, we will inform you in due time, it is too early to talk about it," he said.

• Several regions of Russia have decidedto cancel the Victory Day parade on May 9, 2023, "for security reasons." Moscow and other cities will not hold the Immortal Regiment march.
• In 2022, Moscow and other major Russian cities cancelled the aerial portion of the parade on May 9. This was explained by weather conditions.