Russia cancels St. Petersburg Navy Day parade for second straight year amid Ukrainian drone threat

Russia has canceled its annual Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg for the second year in a row, as Ukraine's increasing deep-strike capabilities put even the country's heavily defended major cities at risk.

Navy Day is a national holiday in the Russian Federation traditionally observed on the last Sunday in July. Since 2017, the standard celebrations have involved elaborate displays of Russian naval might, including a major review of combat vessels from the Baltic, Black Sea, Northern, and Pacific fleets in St. Petersburg.

But this year, the event was considerably drier. For the second year in a row, the main parade was canceled due to security concerns. Russian President Vladimir Putin instead delivered an address to sailors at the Amiralty, the Navy's headquarters in St. Petersburg.

Putin's visit coincided with large-scale internet blackouts in St. Petersburg, city residents reported.

While Putin praised the might of the Russian navy in his speech, the canceled parade and widespread internet shutdowns point to the growing ability of Ukrainian drones to threaten Russia's power centers — and disrupt Putin's propaganda theater.

In June, Ukraine launched a mass drone strike on St. Petersburg during the first day of Russia's Economic Forum, Putin's annual showcase of commercial prosperity. The attack struck the St. Petersburg Oil Terminal, draping the city in black smoke as Putin and international business leaders arrived for the conference.

A month earlier, Moscow also significantly scaled back its Victory Day military parade in the Red Square due to fears of Ukrainian strikes — despite the permit for the ceremony granted by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Ukrainian president issued no such permit for the parade in St. Petersburg.

When the Navy Day parade was canceled for the first time in July 2025, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov simply cited "security reasons."

This year, sources in the Russian Defense Ministry told the St. Petersburg news outlet Fontanka on July 15 that the military had received no orders to organize the parade. A Navy spokesperson told that outlet that "it's not the right time."  

Since the last suspended parade, Ukraine's long-range drone strikes have only grown more frequent and more precise.

St. Petersburg — Putin's hometown, located 1,100 kilometers (about 684 miles) from Ukraine's border — has rarely been hit by Ukrainian attacks due to the concentration of Russian air defenses around the historically significant city. But the advancements in Ukraine's drone industry have made the stronghold more vulnerable.

The city came under fire on July 24, as Ukraine launched another strike on Wildberries logistics hubs in Russia. The attack hit two Wildberries warehouses in St. Petersburg, sending thick clouds of smoke into the sky and grounding flights at the Pulkovo Airport.