# Why Putin’s big parade will be a damp squib

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-26954/why-putin-s-big-parade-will-be-a-damp-squib
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-26954/why-putin-s-big-parade-will-be-a-damp-squib.md
Podcast: [The Story](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-26954)
Published: 2026-05-08T00:01:00+00:00
Episode link: https://shows.acast.com/storiesofourtimes/episodes/why-putins-big-parade-will-be-a-damp-squib
Audio file: https://sphinx.acast.com/p/acast/s/storiesofourtimes/e/69fcc66f2ba0ef2cca88fc98/media.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-story-26954/episodes/why-putin-s-big-parade-will-be-a-damp-squib
Duration seconds: 1716

## Resource

In Moscow, preparations are complete for tomorrow’s Victory Day celebrations. This year’s military parade will be pared back amid fears of Ukrainian drone strikes. So as the country marks its biggest celebration in muted style, five years into a grinding war, how are Russians feeling about their government and the economy? And what’s been the true impact of the war in Iran? This podcast was brought to you thanks to the support of readers of The Times and The Sunday Times. Subscribe today: http://thetimes.com/thestory Guest: Alexander Gabuev, director, Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre. Host: Rosie Wright. Producer: Callum Martin. We want to hear from you - email: thestory@thetimes.com Read more: No tanks or missiles at Russia’s scaled-back Victory Day parade Further listening: The descent into madness under Putin Clips: YouTube, Times Now World, France24, FreakiAhhMilitary, APT, Daily Express. Photo: Getty Images. This podcast was brought to you thanks to subscribers of The Times and The Sunday Times. To enjoy unlimited digital access to all our journalism subscribe  here . Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-story-26954/episodes/why-putin-s-big-parade-will-be-a-damp-squib/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-story-26954/why-putin-s-big-parade-will-be-a-damp-squib.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.