St. Petersburg Navy Day Parade Cancelled for Second Year in a Row – Fontanka

Russia’s Defense Ministry does not plan to hold its annual Naval Day parade in St. Petersburg this summer, the local news outlet Fontanka reported Monday, citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.

The 2026 cancellation, if confirmed, would mark the third year in a row that some or all of the parade has been called off.

Sources in the Defense Ministry told Fontanka that they have not yet received orders to begin preparations for the parade, a process that would already have been in full swing in previous years.

Fontanka also reported that, as of June 15, no presidential decree regarding the parade had been issued.

“As you can imagine, it’s not the right time,” a Navy spokesperson told Fontanka.

Last year, the parade was cancelled due to “security concerns.” At the time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that it would not happen given the “general atmosphere.”

In 2024, the Kronstadt portion of the parade was also cancelled over alleged security concerns, although the St. Petersburg portion did take place.

At the time, news outlets reported that Russian security services had warned of a likely attack on naval vessels involved in the parade.

According to the New York Times, then-U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin held two phone calls with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov after Russian intelligence warned of possible covert Ukrainian operations around the planned parade.

That warning was allegedly serious enough that Austin contacted Ukrainian officials to urge them not to carry out any potential attacks.

Since 2017, the Navy Day parade has been held on the last Sunday of July in St. Petersburg, the home base of the Russian Navy and the Baltic Fleet.

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