VLADIMIR Putin was accompanied by his dreaded nuclear briefcase as he issued a chilling threat of global war during Moscow's Victory Day parade.
Alongside the embarrassment of only displaying one tank, the broadcast of the spectacle appeared to be hacked with pictures of dead Russian troops and ruined military equipment.
Columns of missiles and armoured vehicles rolled across Red Square this morning and squadrons of fighter jets roared overhead as Putin declared Russia was "ready" to strike the West.
About 9,000 troops, including some 1,000 who fought in Ukraine, took part in the annual event that celebrates the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War 2.
May 9 parades are held throughout Russia as a means to showcase to the world the strength of the Russian military machine, recall wartime sacrifice and garner national pride.
Flanking the tyrant, 71, at all times were his bodyguards who were spotted carrying the infamous nuclear briefcase - a lethal sign of Russia's ability to spark World War 3.
Similar to the US' "nuclear football", Russia's portable nuclear button, the Cheget, is kept under 24-hour supervision by armed guards and has a personalised key code.
Today, the briefcase stayed tightly close to Putin's side as did protection shields used in case of an assassination threat.
As Russia's tensions with the West soar to Cold War levels, Putin seized the moment to issue another stark reminder about Russia's nuclear might.
The despot smiled as three of his hulking Yars atomic missile launchers thundered over the cobbles of Moscow's Red Square.
Soldiers stood to attention as Putin warned: "Russia will do everything to prevent global confrontation, but will not allow anyone to threaten us.
"Our strategic forces are always in a state of combat readiness."
In a possible huge security blunder, the broadcast of the military parade was targeted by anti-Putin hackers.
The apparent attack on smart TVs across Russia lasted for over 20 seconds as the ceremony was interrupted with grim footage showing the reality of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Fields of dead soldiers, a squaddie being blown up inside a trench, the wreckage of bomb-blitzed tanks and fighting vehicles and scores of helmets of fallen troops covered the screens.
It is not yet clear who was behind the hack.
However, an unknown narrator's voice fumes: "We are toiling for them. He was trying to distract us from all of his f***-ups with a war with the closest nation to us.
"F***** the war up too and does not know how to get out of this and what lies to tell us next."
It then cut back to a clip of Putin stating: “Special Military Operation can take a long time."
It also paired up an image of Moscow's troops in a 'Z' formation - the symbol of Russia's invasion of Ukraine - next to German World War 2 soldiers forming a Nazi swastika.
The voice continued: "If this is the fight against nazism, then he himself should be judged for finding excuses for Hitler...After this, he dares to come close to veterans?
"Someone should spit in his face and not shake his hand.”
Russia today wrapped itself in patriotic pageantry for Victory Day - but this year's event was a much pared-down parade indicating the strains of war.
For the second year in a row, it featured just one measly tank - reportedly an 80-year-old T-34.
Amongst all the pomp and propaganda, there was an obvious lack of military hardware on display compared to events prior to Russia's full scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago.
In a blow to Putin, many regional parades were even scrapped this year over what governors called "security concerns".
Russia has suffered huge losses of both troops and equipment on the battlefield.
A UK intelligence assessment last week suggested 450,000 Russian soldiers had been killed or wounded in Ukraine - with losses surging to 1,300 troops per day in the last two months.
It also claimed Russia had lost 3,000 main battle tanks, 10,000 armoured vehicles, 109 aircraft and 23 naval vessels in the war so far.
In one of his shortest Victory Day addresses yet, Putin said: "We must never forget the lessons from World War 2... and never forget our allies".
Ignoring the role that the UK, US and other allied nations played in what Russia calls its "Great Patriotic war", Putin instead lavished praise on China.
The dictator also seized the moment to tell his citizens Russia's sovereignty was threatened.
"Dear friends, Russia is now going through a difficult, crucial period. The fate of the Motherland, its future depends on each of us," he said.
He heaped praise on the "heroes" fighting in Ukraine and accused "Western elites" of fomenting conflicts around the world.
After calling for a minute of silence, Putin ended with the words: "For Russia! For victory! Hurrah!", providing the cue for thousands of troops to answer with three bellowing cheers.
ON May 9, Russia celebrates Victory Day. But what is it?
This year marks the 79th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War 2.
The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in what Russians call the "Great Patriotic War" - more than any other country.
Victory Day is one of Russia's most important public holidays.
For Putin, it is an opportunity to project to his people an image of Russia as a powerful nation of winners, standing on the right side of history in defeating fascism.
Nazi Germany's unconditional surrender came into force at 11:01 p.m. on May 8, 1945, marked as "Victory in Europe Day" by France, Britain and the United States.
In Moscow it was already May 9, which became the Soviet Union's "Victory Day".
Soviet leader Joseph Stalin decreed a holiday, and the first victory parade on Red Square, featuring captured German insignia, was held on June 24, 1945.
Under Putin, Victory Day increasingly became a muscular display not only of marching battalions but also of Russia's latest weaponry, including warplanes, tanks, and nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles.
IN World War 2, the three great Allied powers - the UK, US and Soviet Union formed an alliance that was key to securing victory of Nazi Germany.
On New Year's Day in 1942, all three nations signed the United Nations Declaration to join together to fight the Axis powers (Germany, Italy and Japan).
The 'Big Three' gathered together in Yalta in February 1945 as they were closing in on Germany from both the east and west with very different goals.
Soviet forces pushed Nazi forces back to Berlin, where Hitler committed suicide and the red Soviet Victory Banner was raised over the German Reichstag in 1945.
The alliance ended after the Nazi's unconditional surrender came into force at 11:01 p.m. on May 8, 1945.
The Soviet Union lost about 27 million people in the war, an estimate that many historians consider conservative, scarring virtually every family.
In his ranting speech today, Putin said: "In the West, they would like to forget the lessons of the Second World War," adding that Russia honoured all the allies involved in the defeat of Nazi Germany.
However he failed to mention these allies by name, instead praising the Chinese people's fight against Japanese imperialism.
Putin added: ";But we remember that the fate of mankind was decided in the grand battles near Moscow and Leningrad, Rzhev, Stalingrad, Kursk and Kharkiv, near Minsk, Smolensk and Kyiv, in heavy, bloody battles from Murmansk to the Caucasus and Crimea."
