"The decision to cancel the naval parade is related to the general situation, security reasons are paramount," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on 27/7.
Navy Day is a national holiday in Russia, celebrated annually on the last Sunday of July to honor sailors in the Russian naval forces. Traditionally, the Russian navy holds parades and fleet formations in several port cities, with the main event taking place in St. Petersburg.
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Russian sailors and officers at a parade in Vladivostok in July 2024. Photo: RIA Novosti |
Russian sailors and officers at a parade in Vladivostok in July 2024. Photo: RIA Novosti
Russian officials later reported that Ukraine had deployed multiple suicide drones targeting St. Petersburg on 27/7, forcing the city's airport to close for five hours.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that it had intercepted a total of 291 drones of various types in multiple areas. Alexander Drozdenko, governor of the Leningrad region surrounding St. Petersburg, said more than 10 drones were shot down in the area and debris injured a woman. He later confirmed the Ukrainian attack had been repelled.
President Vladimir Putin praised the courage and heroism of the servicemen in the Russian navy on the same day. "We are celebrating the holiday in a working atmosphere," Putin said in a video message to Russian naval units participating in the large-scale Ocean Shield 2025 exercise.
The Ocean Shield 2025 exercise was held from 23/7 to 27/7, involving more than 150 warships and support vessels, 120 aircraft, 10 coastal missile batteries, 950 military and specialized equipment units, and 15,000 personnel. The Russian navy conducted over 550 combat exercises, including more than 450 scenarios involving weapons operation.
The Soviet Union began celebrating Navy Day in 1939, in connection with the Battle of Gangut in 1714. This was a significant victory for the Russian navy since its establishment in 1696 under the Tsardom of Russia. The Soviet Union abolished Navy Day in 1980, and Putin reinstated it in 2017.
Nguyen Tien (TASS, RIA Novosti, AFP)
