An embarrassing mistake made by an AI system was observed during the broadcast of Russia’s annual Victory Day military parade. Video footage captured elite Russian Air Force pilots executing their customary flypast, but the fighter jets were seen carrying flags of several European NATO member nations, such as the UK, France, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, and Norway.
This incident occurred shortly after Vladimir Putin commended Russian troops engaged in the conflict in Ukraine, emphasizing their confrontation against an aggressive force backed by the entire NATO bloc. The Russian president asserted the inevitability of victory in the ongoing war, now in its fifth year.
The mishap took place during the flypast performance by the Russian Knights (Russkiye Vityazi) and Swifts (Strizhi) aerobatic teams, a highly anticipated segment of the parade held on Moscow’s Red Square to commemorate the 81st anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.
Russian fighter jets, including MiG-29s, Su-30SMs, and Su-25s, soared over the square in their iconic Cuban Diamond formation, releasing smoke in the colors of the Russian flag. To provide viewers with a close-up view of the jets, state media switched between live cameras and AI-generated footage.
Putin, who has ruled for over a quarter of a century, often utilizes Victory Day as a platform to showcase Russia’s military prowess and garner support for the conflict in Ukraine, the country’s most significant secular holiday.
Security was heightened in Moscow as Putin and several foreign dignitaries attended the parade, with security personnel carrying what appeared to be fold-out bulletproof shields and the “Cheget” nuclear briefcase near the Russian president.
This year’s parade witnessed a significant reduction in scale, omitting tanks, missiles, and other heavy weaponry, except for the flypast, for the first time in almost twenty years. The Russian Defence Ministry attributed this format change to the current operational circumstances, citing concerns about potential Ukrainian hostilities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky previously suggested that Russian authorities feared drone disturbances during the celebrations on Saturday. In response to US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire announcement and prisoner exchange proposal, Zelensky humorously authorized Russia to conduct its Victory Day festivities and humorously declared Red Square temporarily immune to Ukrainian attacks.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissed Zelensky’s decree as a jest, asserting Russia’s right to commemorate Victory Day without permission. Peskov later confirmed the absence of any threats during the parade, stating that everything proceeded without incident.