Russia on Friday paraded combat drones that its forces use in the war in Ukraine on Moscow's Red Square in what state TV said was a first.

President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping and more than two dozen other foreign leaders looked on as various truck-mounted Russian-made drones were driven across the vast square on their launchers, along with other military hardware.

The state TV commentator describing the parade in real time said the drones had been widely and effectively used in what he called Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.

The Lancet, Geran-2, Orlan-10 and Orlan-30 drones were among those shown off in the parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany.

The Orlan drones are widely used for reconnaissance and target-selection missions. The ZALA Lancet is a loitering munition used for both strike and reconnaissance missions which has been reported to have attacked and destroyed numerous pieces of Ukrainian military hardware, including tanks and a military jet.

The Geran-2 is a Russian-made suicide or kamikaze drone whose design originated in Iran, where an earlier version was made. They have been used to target Ukrainian energy infrastructure and Kyiv has accused Moscow of using them to hit residential buildings too.

Russia has denied deliberately targeting civilians and says it only targets military or military-related objects.

Ukraine has also developed its own advanced drones and made highly effective use of them against Russian troops on the battlefield and targets inside Russia such as oil depots and refineries.

Russian combat drones used to attack Ukrainian towns and cities have been shown at a Russian Victory Day parade in Moscow for the first time.

The Lancet drone and the Geran-2 drone were among those shown off in the parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany.

Chinese president Xi Jinping was among world leaders who attended the parade and was seen sat next to Mr Putin.

Around 11,500 troops were lined up in ranks on Red Square, including 1,500 who have fought in Ukraine, compared to only 7,000 a few years ago.

During the military parade at Moscow’s Red Square, Mr Putin paid tribute to the Allied forces and vowed to defend the Russian army.

The Kremlin leader said Russian society was "supporting the participants of the special military operation" in Ukraine today as the motherland “felt the joy” of defeating Nazi Germany and Japan in 1945.

It comes after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky slammed the parade as “bile and lies”. “It will be a parade of cynicism. There is just no other way to describe it,” he said on Thursday.

Key Points

• 'Russian drones used to attack Ukraine shown in parade'

• It is my duty to defend the Russian army, says Putin

• All you need to know about Putin's Victory Day parade in Moscow today

• Trump asks Putin to accept 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine

• Russia hits eight settlements 220 times during ceasefire, says Ukraine

• Vance says US ready to 'walk away' if Russia negotiates in bad faith

Parade shows the world Russia is not isolated, says Kremlin

The Kremlin says the attendance of Russian allies such as Xi, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and several dozen leaders from the former Soviet Union, Africa, Asia and Latin America shows Russia is not isolated even if Moscow's former WW2 Western allies want to stay away.

Chinese troops took part in the parade, and Putin shook hands with North Korean officers, praising them for their fighting skill.

North Korean troops have helped Russia fight an incursion into its western Kursk region by Ukrainian forces seeking a bargaining chip in any peace talks.

Pictured: Russian Su-25 fighter jets fly over Moscow

Pictured: North Korean officers at Putin's Victory Day Parade

Vance says US ready to 'walk away' if Russia negotiates in bad faith

US vice president JD Vance has said the US will be ready to "walk away" from the negotiating table if it does not see Russia making progress in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

"We knew that Russia would ask for too much because Russia's perspective on the ground is that they're winning," Mr Vance said, claiming that Ukraine wants a ceasefire because “things are not going so well for them”.

"Our attitude is we don't want Ukraine to collapse. We obviously want Ukraine to remain a sovereign country. But Russia can't expect to be given territory they haven't even conquered yet,” he said.

"I actually think that it’s progress that they’re even talking at all – the Russians and Ukrainians. I think it’s progress that they are putting concrete peace plans on the table. But we knew that the Russians' first offer would be too much. We knew that they would ask for more than what was reasonable to give, that's how negotiations often work," the US vice president said, adding that he is not bothered by these issues.

"What would bother me is if we conclude that the Russians are not engaging in negotiation in good faith. And if that happens, yeah, we're going to walk away," Mr Vance told Fox News yesterday.

“The president’s gonna say – we’re out of this,” Mr Vance said, adding that the US exiting peace talks won’t be good for anyone.

Poland and France commit to helping each other in case of military threat

Poland and France will sign a treaty on Friday in which they will commit to helping each other in the event of a military threat, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.

The treaty will be signed amid security concerns in Europe following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which borders Poland, and amid European doubts about U.S. President Donald Trump's long-term commitment to the continent's security.

The treaty, which the two countries will sign in the French city of Nancy, covers topics including defence, energy, nuclear, and transport matters.

"The provision that we have in the treaty is...that in the event of a threat of attacks on Poland and France, both countries commit to provide assistance, including military assistance," Tusk told reporters before leaving for France.

Russia will face new sanctions if it refuses serious peace talks, Germany's Merz says

Europe supports President Donald Trump's plan for a 30-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, with both the EU and the US prepared to heighten sanctions pressure on Moscow if it does not take peace talks seriously, Germany's new chancellor said.

Speaking on his first visit to Brussels since being appointed, Friedrich Merz added that the EU and US would continue to support Ukraine, upping their provision if necessary, though he said Germany continued to oppose joint EU debt to finance defence spending.

"We call on Russia at last to set out on the path for real peace negotiations," he told reporters on Friday. "If that doesn't happen, we won't hesitate, together with our European partners and the US, to increase the sanctions pressure."

How the war in Ukraine reduced Putin’s ‘Victory Day’ military parade to a shadow of its former self

Russian drones used to attack Ukraine shown in parade, say reports

Russian combat drones used to attack Ukrainian towns and cities will be shown at a Russian Victory Day parade in Moscow, according to state TV.

Russian state TV's Channel One said the Lancet drone and the Geran-2 drone would be among those shown off in the parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies over Nazi Germany.

The ZALA Lancet drone is a loitering munition used for both strike and reconnaissance missions which has been reported to have attacked and destroyed numerous pieces of Ukrainian military hardware, including tanks and a military jet.

The Geran-2 drone is a Russian-made suicide or kamikaze drone whose design originated in Iran where an earlier version was made. They have been used to target Ukrainian energy infrastructure and Kyiv has accused Moscow of using them to hit residential buildings too.

Taiwan denounces Russia and China for distorting Second World War

Taiwan's government on Friday criticised Russia and China for distorting World War Two history, saying Chinese communist forces made "no substantial contribution" to fighting Japan and instead took the opportunity to expand their own forces.

Taiwan has since the start of this year sought to cast the war as a lesson to China in why aggression will end in failure, remind the world it was not the government in Beijing that won the war.

The Chinese government at the time was the Republic of China, part of the U.S., British and Russian-led alliance, and its forces did much of the fighting against Japan, putting on pause a bitter civil war with Mao Zedong's Communists whose military also fought the Japanese.

The republican government then fled to Taiwan in 1949 after finally being defeated by Mao, and Republic of China remains the democratic island's official name.

Responding to comments by Russian President Vladimir Putin to Chinese President Xi Jinping that the war was won under the leadership of China's communist party, Taiwan's Mainland Affairs Council said it was the Republic of China government and people who fought and ultimately won.

"The Chinese communists only took the opportunity to expand and consolidate communist forces, and made no substantial contribution to the war of resistance, let alone 'leading' the war of resistance," it said.

Chinese-made military vehicles driven through Red Square

Chinese-made ATV vehicles were driven through Moscow’s Red Square during Russia’s Victory Day Parade, footage showed.

The Desertcross 1000-3 all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), equipped with guns, were driven through Moscow on Friday morning.

The vehicles are manufactured by the Chinese company Odes Industries and over 2,000 of them were delivered to Russia in 2023.

Watch: Russia’s duty to defend the army’s dignity, says Putin

It is my duty to defend the Russian army, says Putin

Russian president Vladimir Putin has spoken at a Moscow Victory Day parade that was slammed as “bile and lies” by Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.

During the military parade at Moscow’s Red Square, Mr Putin paid tribute to the Allied forces and vowed to defend the Russian army.

The Kremlin leader said Russian society was "supporting the participants of the special military operation" in Ukraine today as the motherland “felt the joy” of defeating Nazi Germany and Japan in 1945.

“I thank the efforts of the Allied forces, resistance, and the people of China, everyone who fought for a peaceful future. Glory to the people who won the war,” Mr Putin said.

Glory to everyone who won the war, Vladimir Putin says

Russian president Vladimir Putin has thanked the Allies forces for defeating Nazi Germany.

“Dear friends, in the Second World War, almost 80 per cent of the population were involved in the complete defeat of Nazi Germany and militarist Japan,” Mr Putin said.

“I thank the efforts of the Allied forces, resistance, and the people of China, everyone who fought for a peaceful future. Glory to the people who won the war.”

Pictured: Xi Jinping awaits start of Russian military parade

Pictured: Russian service members march before a military parade on Victory Day in Moscow

World leaders join Putin in Moscow for Victory Day celebrations

In Photos: Russian armoured vehicles and troops fill Moscow ahead of Victory Day Parade

08:07 , Arpan Rai

Ukraine air force says Russia launched bombs on Sumy region

Russian aircraft have launched guided bombs on the Sumy region of northern Ukraine, the war-hit nation’s air force said this morning.

The attack comes just a day after a Russian military aircraft launched guided bombs on the Sumy region for the third time during a Kremlin-sponsored ceasefire.

There were no immediate reports of damage and casualties.

This is the second day in a row Russia has attacked Ukraine despite proposing and claiming it is holding a 72-hour ceasefire.

Watch live: Putin leads Russia’s Victory Day celebrations with military parade in Moscow

All you need to know about Putin's Victory Day parade in Moscow today

Russia is set to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War today with a grand military parade being attended by China's Xi Jinping.

President Vladimir Putin, the longest-serving Kremlin chief since Josef Stalin, will speak at a 7am GMT parade where thousands of Russian soldiers usually march by and drive military hardware such as intercontinental ballistic missiles and tanks past Lenin's Mausoleum on Red Square.

The Kremlin says the attendance of Russian allies such as Xi, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and several dozen leaders from the former Soviet Union, Africa, Asia and Latin America shows Russia is not isolated from the wider world even if Moscow's former World War Western allies want to stay away. From Europe, the leaders of Serbia and Slovakia will attend.

"The victory over fascism, achieved at the cost of enormous sacrifices, has an everlasting significance," Mr Putin told his Chinese counterpart Mr Xi in the Kremlin. "The countless sacrifices made by both our peoples should never be forgotten."

Russian officials have ensured security is very tight in Moscow this weekend as fear of Ukrainian drone attacks loom.

Mr Putin proposed a 72-hour ceasefire would run on 8-10 May, though Ukraine said Russia had broken the ceasefire within hours of it coming into effect.

The Kremlin said military units from 13 countries, including China, will take part in the parade along with Russian troops, though it was unclear how North Korea – which has helped Russia fight in Ukraine – would be represented.

Russia hits eight settlements 220 times during ceasefire, says Ukraine

Russia hit eight Ukrainian settlements near the frontline 220 times during its so-called ceasefire, governor of the Zaporizhzhia region Ivan Fedorov said in the early hours of today.

The villages in Zaporizhzhia were hit by 150 drones and 70 artillery rounds in the past 24 hours, he said.

Russian forces have attacked Ukrainian positions using multiple rocket and drones and mounted raids on several Ukrainian frontline positions, Ukraine’s armed forces said on Telegram this morning.

The ceasefire announced by Russian president Vladimir Putin came into force in the early hours of Thursday.

Vance says US ready to 'walk away' if Russia negotiates in bad faith

US vice president JD Vance has said the US will be ready to "walk away" from the negotiating table if it does not see Russia making progress in negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

"We knew that Russia would ask for too much because Russia's perspective on the ground is that they're winning," Mr Vance said, claiming that Ukraine wants a ceasefire because “things are not going so well for them”.

"Our attitude is we don't want Ukraine to collapse. We obviously want Ukraine to remain a sovereign country. But Russia can't expect to be given territory they haven't even conquered yet,” he said.

"I actually think that it’s progress that they’re even talking at all – the Russians and Ukrainians. I think it’s progress that they are putting concrete peace plans on the table. But we knew that the Russians' first offer would be too much. We knew that they would ask for more than what was reasonable to give, that's how negotiations often work," the US vice president said, adding that he is not bothered by these issues.

"What would bother me is if we conclude that the Russians are not engaging in negotiation in good faith. And if that happens, yeah, we're going to walk away," Mr Vance told Fox News yesterday.

“The president’s gonna say – we’re out of this,” Mr Vance said, adding that the US exiting peace talks won’t be good for anyone.

UK sanctions up to 100 Russian tankers from Shadow fleet

Britain will sanction up to 100 oil tankers from Russia's so-called shadow fleet, seeking to step up pressure on Moscow in the war with Ukraine as leaders from the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) security alliance meet in Norway today.

Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s office said the sanctions would represent Britain’s largest package of measures against the shadow fleet.

The vessels carried cargo worth over $24bn since the beginning of last year, with some ships also involved in damaging critical infrastructure, Britain said.

The PM’s office did not provide further detail but similar sanctions previously have restricted or prohibited the movement of shadow fleet vessels and their access to some British ports.

Sir Keir will announce the measures at a summit of JEF leaders in Oslo. Founded in 2014, the British-led group of 10 northern European nations including Denmark, the Netherlands, Finland and Sweden acts as a supplement to wider cooperation through the Nato military alliance.

"Every step we take to increase pressure on Russia and achieve a just and sustainable peace in Ukraine is another step towards security and prosperity in the UK," Sir Keir said.

"We will do everything in our power to destroy (president Vladimir Putin's) shadow fleet operation, starve his war machine of oil revenues and protect the subsea infrastructure that we rely on for our everyday lives,” he said.

The vessels are suspected of damaging undersea infrastructure in Europe, including power lines, cables and pipelines in the Baltic Sea.

Nordic and Baltic nations, alarmed by rising sabotage risks, have pressed for action.

JEF nations have been steadfast supporters of Ukraine, with many spooked by Russia's invasion of its smaller neighbour. Sweden and Finland have also joined Nato, upending decades of non-alignment.

Ukraine to host foreign ministers to endorse 'special tribunal' for Russian leadership

Ukraine will host a group of foreign ministers in Lviv today to endorse the establishment of a special tribunal to prosecute the leadership of Russia, Belarus and North Korea for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, a senior Kyiv official said.

The tribunal will be set up by the Council of Europe, the continent's leading human rights watchdog that was formed after the Second World War to uphold rights and the rule of law. The full list of incoming ministers was not public.

Poland and France have both said they will visit Lviv today.

The meeting will fall on the same day that Russian president Vladimir Putin hosts Chinese president Xi Jinping and other leaders for a military parade on Red Square to mark the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany.

"The special tribunal may start operating next year. This year we are completing the legal formalities, and the Council of Europe will begin to form – recruit judges, a secretariat, prosecutors, implement rules and procedures," Iryna Mudra, a presidential aide, said in televised comments.

How war in Ukraine reduced Putin’s parade to a shadow of itself

Ever since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, the annual military parade to honour the defeat of Nazi Germany has been a shadow of former years.

The displays of state-of-the-art tanks and intercontinental ballistic missiles in Moscow’s Red Square have gone, while world leaders, even Moscow’s allies, have been wary of standing alongside Putin to watch the procession of military prowess.

The invasion has devastated Ukraine and cost Russia’s military thousands of tanks and hundreds of thousands of soldiers.

Before the all-out war in Ukraine, Victory Day, celebrated a day later than VE Day, became a parade not just to honour the sacrifices of a previous generation but also to burnish Putin’s image of post-Soviet Russia being restored to its former greatness.

Moscow accuses Ukrainian troops of trying to break into Kursk

Russia's defence ministry said Ukrainian troops twice tried to break through the border in the Kursk region, news agency Interfax reported yesterday.

The defence ministry said Russia continued to abide by the ceasefire, announced by Russia in its war in Ukraine for 8-10 May, while Ukraine has "violated" it 488 times.

Kyiv at no point commmitted to the 72-hour ceasefire, and says Russia has violated its own ceasefire more than 700 times. One women was killed in Sumy, Kyiv said.

Zelensky hails 'warm' call with Trump and calls for 30-day ceasefire

Volodymyr Zelensky said he had a "warm and constructive" phone call with US president Donald Trump last night and that Ukraine is “ready for peace from this moment”.

“I’ve just spoken with President Trump. It was a good conversation – very warm and constructive,” he said.

He added: “I also informed him that Ukraine is ready for a 30-day ceasefire, starting even today. We are waiting for Russia to support this proposal. I also reaffirmed that Ukraine is ready to engage in talks in any format. But for that, Russia must demonstrate the seriousness of its intentions to end the war, starting with a full unconditional ceasefire.”

Mr Zelensky said he also updated the US president on the battlefield situation.

Russian forces breached Putin's ceasefire 734 times, says Kyiv

Ukraine has said Russian forces have violated president Vladimir Putin’s 72-hour ceasefire more than 700 times within the first day.

“According to our military data, despite Putin's statements, Russian forces continue to attack across the entire frontline. From midnight to midday, Russia committed 734 ceasefire violations and 63 assault operations, 23 of which are still ongoing; 586 attacks on our troops' positions, 464 of which used heavy weapons; 176 strikes by FPV-drones; and 10 air strikes using 16 guided aerial bombs,” Ukraine foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said yesterday.

Branding the ceasefire a “farce”, the Ukrainian official said: “Ukraine remains ready for at least 30-day full ceasefire and confidence-building measures, which will enable peace negotiations and the real path to a fair and sustainable peace.”

Trump asks Putin to accept 30-day ceasefire with Ukraine

US president Donald Trump has suggested Russian leader Vladimir Putin should “ideally” accept a 30-day ceasefire, backing similar calls from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky after the two spoke on the phone on Thursday.

"Talks with Russia/Ukraine continue. The US calls for, ideally, a 30-day unconditional ceasefire," Mr Trump said on his Truth Social network after speaking to Mr Zelensky.

Mr Trump has also threatened further sanctions on Moscow if any potential ceasefire is violated.

"If the ceasefire is not respected, the US and its partners will impose further sanctions."

Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address that the two leaders had shared a "warm and constructive" phone call, and that Ukraine is “ready for peace from this moment”.

He said a 30-day ceasefire would be a "real indicator" of progress towards peace with Russia.