Image Credits - National Interest
Russia rolled out a range of new armoured vehicles alongside its standard missile systems and air defences during Thursday’s annual Victory Day military parade in Moscow. Several debutants made their first public appearance, even as established models proven in the Ukraine conflict also took centre stage.
Among the new vehicles on display was the K-53949 “Phoenix” from the Typhoon family of armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs). The 15-ton Phoenix features metal-ceramic armour designed to withstand mines, shrapnel, and armour-piercing rounds. It’s outfitted with a 7.62mm Kalashnikov machine gun.
Making its parade premiere was also the Linza 4×4 armoured ambulance, equipped to carry a crew of 3-5 plus 4-6 wounded troops from the battlefield. The ambulance joined the Tigr-M infantry mobility vehicle, which has seen extensive service in Ukraine and received a new mobile command system upgrade.
Larger armoured vehicles included the K-17 Boomerang, a 34-ton wheeled 8×8 infantry fighting vehicle (IFV). The Boomerang is armed with a 30mm autocannon, anti-tank missiles, and a coaxial machine gun. It boasts ceramic armour and a 510 horsepower turbocharged engine allowing speeds up to 100 km/h.
Russia’s BTR-82A 8×8 wheeled amphibious armoured personnel carriers also rolled across Red Square’s cobblestones. The 15-ton APCs have a 30mm main gun and 7.62mm machine gun and have been documented with ad-hoc defensive upgrades like armoured shrouds and slat cages added by crews in Ukraine’s combat zones.
The military hardware’s appearance followed a speech by President Vladimir Putin commemorating the Soviet WWII victory over Nazi Germany. He drew parallels between that existential conflict and Russia’s justifications for its invasion of Ukraine, which the Kremlin has portrayed as a necessary “de-Nazification” operation.
Notably absent were some of Russia’s latest and most advanced tanks and armoured vehicles like the T-14 Armata main battle tank – only prototypes of which currently exist. Western officials say Russia’s military-industrial base has struggled to maintain production and restock its heavy equipment losses in Ukraine amid sanctions.
Still, the parade provided the Kremlin an annual opportunity to project military strength and deliver a defiant signal to its Ukrainian foes and NATO adversaries. The prominent display of newly hardened and upgraded models also hinted at continued Russian efforts to make battlefield adjustments in its grinding campaign.