Victory Day, celebrated on May 9, is Russia’s most important secular holiday, reflecting its wartime sacrifice. But it’s also used by the Kremlin to bolster patriotism and regain the superpower prestige it lost when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991.

China's Xi Jinping joined Vladimir Putin for a huge Victory Day parade in Moscow, hoping to reassure Russians of their nation's strength as the Ukraine conflict grinds on.

The military parade marking the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany was intended to impress allies and tap into Russia’s deep sense of national pride.