The Naval Parade from St. Petersburg, canceled for the first time of 2017 for “Security Reasons”
The annual Marine Day parade from St. Petersburg was canceled for security reasons, Kremlin confirmed on Sunday.
The Kremlin canceled this year's EPA-EFE photo parade
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov told journalists that the parade will not take place according to the plan, invoking “The general atmosphere” and “Security reasons”. He did not provide other details, reports The Moscow Times.
On Friday, the authorities of St. Petersburg had initially announced that the event had been canceled. The statement was subsequently modified, the city administration explaining that it does not have the authority to comment on the event, which is organized by the Russian Defense Ministry.
Previously, the local publication Fontanka, citing sources close to the situation, had reported that this year's festivities dedicated to the Marine Day were to be considerably reduced and replaced with a wreaths and other commemorative activities in the Palace Square.
Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared on Sunday earlier in a video message praising “Courage” and “Heroism” the personnel of the Russian navy involved in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
“We celebrate this day in a work atmosphere”declared a little later during the day, addressing the Russian military who participated in the major naval exercises “The storm in July”.
These exercises, launched at the beginning of the week in the Baltic and Caspian seas, as well as in the Arctic and Pacific regions, involved over 150 ships and more than 15,000 soldiers, said the Kremlin leader.
“Our main task is to ensure Russia's security and firmly defend our national sovereignty and interests.”Putin said at St. Petersburg, where he was visiting Sunday.
The Naval Naval Parade from Saint Petersburg from 2024 had to take place on July 28, but part of the planned event in the close Kronstadt report was canceled, also for security reasons.
At that time, the press reported that the Russian security services had warned of a possible attack on the ships participating in the parade.
According to the New York Times, the former US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, had two telephone calls with the Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, after the Russian information services warned on possible secret operations of Ukraine around the planned parade.
The warning would have been serious enough that Austin contacted Ukrainian officials to urge you not to take any potential attack.
The annual Marine Day in St. Petersburg was organized for the first time in 2017. Smaller parades usually take place in the cities of Vladivostok and Kaliningrad.
