Russia: Victory Day parades and rehearsals planned in Moscow, other urban centers, May 8-9

Annual Victory Day parades and related rehearsals will prompt significant disruptions in Moscow and other major cities in Russia May 8-9. The main parade will take place on Red Square in Moscow from 10:00 May 9; authorities will restrict movement on numerous roads throughout the city to facilitate the event from 00:01 to 23:59 on the day. Affected routes include Zvenigorodskoye Highway, Novinsky Boulevard, Taganskaya Square, Mayakovsky Tunnel, Garden Ring, Tverskaya, Samotechnaya Overpass, Sadovaya, Triumfalnaya Square, Chernogryazskaya, Marxistskaya, Zemlyanoy Val and Volgogradsky Prospekt.

In addition, sporadic service suspensions are likely at nearby metro stations, including Arbatskaya, Ploschad Revolyutsii, Okhotny Ryad, Teatralnaya, Aleksandrovsky Sad, Borovitskaya, and Lenin's Library. Disruptions will likely be particularly severe between 05:30 and 13:00 on May 9 during the main parade.

Elsewhere, while disruptions will vary between event and location, the following events will likely have the highest impact:

• Saint Petersburg: Parade on Palace Square and Nevsky Prospekt from 10:00 May 9. Road closures will be implemented in multiple central and eastern districts of the city from 12:00 May 8 to 23:59 May 9.

• Novosibirsk: The main military parade will take place on Krasny Prospekt and Lenin Square from 10:00 May 9. Road closures and traffic restrictions throughout the city center are likely from late May 8 through May 9.

Disruptions are likely in other city centers around the country during parade rehearsals and commemorative events from late May 8 through May 9, particularly in Yekaterinburg, Kazan, Ufa, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Krasnoyarsk, and Chelyabinsk. Additionally, patriotic organizations traditionally organize related civilian marches, dubbed the "Immortal Regiment," on main parade days that feature large crowds that generally follow parade routes.

Significant public transport disruptions and traffic congestion are likely on alternative routes due to road closures. Reduced availability of taxis is likely, and authorities could restrict access to metro stations and divert bus routes. Traffic disruptions will likely persist for several hours after the parades have concluded. An increased security presence is likely in city centers ahead of rehearsals and on the day of the main parades. Localized short-term closures of Moscow's airspace are possible on May 9 to facilitate commemorative flyovers, though similar exercises in previous years have not triggered widespread disruptions.