For the second consecutive year, Russia’s Navy Day, a significant annual event aimed at showcasing the country’s naval power, was curtailed. President Vladimir Putin addressed marines against a backdrop of a large image of a vessel instead of holding the traditional parade featuring real warships.
Typically held on the last Sunday of July, Navy Day includes warships traversing St. Petersburg’s Neva River, along with naval parades and aircraft exhibits. This year’s events were canceled, with a spokesman from the Russian defense ministry indicating that no orders for a parade had been issued. He commented, “it’s not the right time.” Last year’s cancellation cited security concerns. Although no official reason was stated this year, it is noteworthy that Ukrainian drones recently targeted locations in St. Petersburg, despite the extensive air defense systems in place.
On July 24, Ukrainian forces struck sites linked to the online retailer Wildberries, resulting in thick smoke clouds and disruptions to commercial flights. In a significantly scaled-down observance, Putin delivered a brief address to sailors at the Admiralty, the Navy’s headquarters. Video footage captured him greeting marines standing before a large image of a submarine, which drew ridicule on social media. The Ukrainian X channel, Military News UA, commented on how “a parade took place on Navy Day, but without the fleet itself.” The channel Nexta echoed this sentiment, stating: “Putin embarrasses himself on the world stage again! So-Called Navy Day Celebrated with a Painted Submarine on a Wall.” The same outlet remarked, “The Kremlin has already scrubbed the blunder from its official websites—but the internet never forgets.”
Jürgen Nauditt, a pro-Ukrainian user on X, highlighted the absence of actual ships as an indication of the state of the Russian Navy. United 24 Media humorously added that Putin conducted a Navy Day parade “without a fleet,” opting instead for an image of a submarine.
Putin’s Comments on Navy Day
Despite the scaled-back event, Putin reiterated Kremlin rhetoric regarding the conflict in Ukraine, affirming the Russian Navy’s crucial role in Moscow’s military ambitions. He underscored the Navy’s significance in safeguarding Russian global security and interests on strategic routes like the Northern Sea Route and in areas such as Kaliningrad.
Putin acknowledged the substantial costs related to the Ukraine conflict while maintaining that significant military spending would persist. “We are now forced to allocate a lot of resources—and this is justified—to ensure the success and achievement of the goals of the special military operation,” Putin stated.
In parallel, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a think tank based in Washington, D.C., evaluated comments by Russian Navy Commander-in-Chief Admiral Alexander Moiseyev. The Admiral discussed plans for developing unmanned systems regiments in the Northern Fleet. The ISW noted this development as partially a response to increased Ukrainian strikes targeting Russian naval assets in the Black and Azov seas.
Newsweek reached out to the Kremlin for further comments, but a response was not provided.