Vladimir Putin is leading Russia's Victory Day commemorations with a parade in Red Square and ramped up security after days of Ukrainian strikes targeting the capital. Chinese President Xi Jingping is among more than 20 international leaders who have made the journey to Moscow.

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.