Victory Day event commemorating second world war highlights drain of Ukraine war on Russia’s military

A solitary, symbolic tank has featured in Russia’s annual 9 May military parade for the second year in a row as the country was forced to pare down its normal display of military might during a full-scale war in which it has suffered unprecedented losses over the last two years.

The single tank to roll across Red Square as Vladimir Putin reviewed about 9,000 troops was a second world war-era T-34 carrying the banner that the Soviet Union used when it defeated Nazi Germany alongside other allies. The tank has gained iconic status, but is not in combat use and is instead a token of those that used to be part of the 9 May Victory Day celebrations.

Ally to take part in exercises alongside Russia; Ukraine says it has exposed network of agents run by Moscow

Russia and Ukraine have accused each other at the global chemical weapons watchdog in The Hague of using banned toxins on the battlefield, the organisation said on Tuesday.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said that the accusations were “insufficiently substantiated” but added that “the situation remains volatile and extremely concerning regarding the possible re-emergence of use of toxic chemicals as weapons.”

Russian president claims mandate for Ukraine invasion and ‘correctness of the country’s course’

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Vladimir Putin has been sworn into his fifth term as Russia’s leader in a ceremony attended by Russia’s political elite but boycotted by the UK, US and most European envoys.

The ceremony, which begins a presidential term that could end with Putin in power for 30 years, was marked by a bellicose speech trumpeting Russia’s national interests as he wages war in Ukraine and clashes with the west.