The May 9 parade in Red Square marks Russia's most revered national holiday - a time to celebrate the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany and to pay homage to the 27 million Soviet citizens, including many from Ukraine, who perished.
Once used to show off Russia's vast military, including its nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, 2026's parade had no tanks or other military equipment rolling over the cobbles of Red Square.
Instead, weapons including a Yars intercontinental ballistic missile, the new Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine, the Peresvet laser weapon, and a host of drones and artillery were shown on giant screens on Red Square, and on state television.
Soldiers and sailors, some of whom have served in Ukraine, marched and cheered as President Vladimir Putin looked on, seated beside Russian veterans in the shadow of Vladimir Lenin's Mausoleum.
North Korean troops, who fought against Ukrainians in Russia's Kursk region, also marched.
Fighter planes flew above the towers of the Kremlin and Putin made an eight-minute speech, promising victory in the war in Ukraine.
"The great feat of the victorious generation inspires the soldiers carrying out the tasks of the special military operation today," Putin said.
"They are confronting an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc. And in spite of that, our heroes march forward."
After Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating unilateral ceasefires they had each declared over recent days, US President Donald Trump announced a three-day ceasefire from Saturday to Monday that was supported by the Kremlin and Kyiv.
There were no reports of violations of the ceasefire from either Moscow or Kyiv.
Russia, which invaded Ukraine in 2022, had warned that any attempt by Kyiv to disrupt Saturday's event would lead to a massive missile strike on the Ukrainian capital.
Moscow told foreign diplomats they should evacuate Kyiv staff in the event of such an attack.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy issued a tongue-in-cheek decree "allowing" Russia's May 9 military parade to proceed and saying Ukrainian weapons would not target Red Square.
Security was tight in Moscow. Reuters pictures showed soldiers with guns atop pick-up trucks and roads blocked around the centre of the capital.
The 2026 parade comes amid a wave of anxiety in Moscow about the ultimate outcome of the conflict in Ukraine.
The war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, left swathes of Ukraine in ruins and drained Russia's economy, while Russia's relations with Europe are worse than at any time since the depths of the Cold War.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed Western media reports that Putin's protection had been intensified because of fears of a coup or assassination.
Russian officials have dismissed reports of a coup plot as nonsense.
