Russia’s May 9 parade marks the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II and has become the country’s most important public holiday.

In a speech in Moscow’s Red Square before thousands of soldiers, President Vladimir Putin praised his army fighting in Ukraine and accused “Western elites” of fomenting conflicts around the world.

Putin warned his nuclear forces were “always” on alert and said Russia would not tolerate any Western threats.

Security in the capital was tight in the run-up to this year’s parade, amid repeated Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory and after an attack on a concert hall near the capital in March killed dozens.

Other parts of Russia, including the western Kursk and Pskov regions, cancelled their parades due to security concerns.

The parade featured columns of Russian military equipment, although it was notably scaled back compared with past years as Moscow mobilises its resources for the Ukraine front line.

Nine world leaders attended the event, including the heads of former Soviet republics Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as the leaders of Cuba, Laos and Guinea-Bissau.

Thursday’s festivities come two days after Putin promised at a lavish inauguration for his fifth presidential term to deliver “victory” to Russians.