By many accounts Russia's Saturday Victory Day parade and memorial observances in Moscow's Red Square were once again muted and somewhat scaled down compared to the immense pageantry which marked the pre-Ukraine war years.
President Putin used the occasion while speaking in front of thousands of military personnel and flanked by a handful of world leaders to take swipes at NATO and the West, saying he's fighting "just" war and called Ukraine an "aggressive force" that is being "armed and supported by the whole bloc of NATO".
Pool Photo via AP"The great feat of the generation of victors inspires the soldiers carrying out the goals of the special military operation today," Putin said. "They are confronting an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire NATO bloc. And despite this, our heroes move forward." He added: "I firmly believe that our cause is just."
The three-day Ukraine ceasefire announced and backed by President Trump appears to be holding, as no drone attacks have been registered on Moscow or other parts of the country. Large-scale drone waves were coming on a daily basis throughout last week. Massive bombardment of Ukraine has also ceased. Ukraine's Zelensky had reportedly ordered his armed forces to adhere to the short ceasefire:
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued a decree on Friday (May 8) ordering the Ukrainian military not to attack the parade. He also confirmed that his government would adhere to the ceasefire and the prisoner swap of 1,000 detainees from each side.
"Red Square is less important to us than the lives of Ukrainian prisoners who can be returned home," Zelensky said, referring to the historic site in Moscow where the annual event is held.
The Kremlin has over the past days repeatedly warned that Kiev would come under immense bombing if the parade did get attacked, and went so far as to tell foreign diplomats they should evacuate the Ukrainian capital in such a scenario.
via APAmong the foreign leaders that attended Saturday V-Day included Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, Malaysia Supreme Leader Sultan Ibrahim, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
The NY Times (and a lot of other Western media outlets) is reading all of this as a 'loss' and reputational hit for Putin, again given the scaled-down and lower key nature of everything.
Happy Great Victory Day! pic.twitter.com/trYNYEz1K2
— Dmitry Medvedev (@MedvedevRussiaE) May 9, 2026"President Vladimir V. Putin has cultivated the annual Victory Day parade commemorating the Soviet triumph over Nazi Germany into a cornerstone of Russian patriotic ritual," NYT wrote. "Tanks and nuclear launchers roll across Red Square in a showcase of military prowess and righteous pride that the Kremlin has used to justify the country’s great-power posture toward the West."
But then the report underscores that "Moscow is under a heavy security presence as Ukraine rattles Russia with long-range drone and missile strikes. The Russian authorities have appeared exposed as they acknowledged that the beefed-up security was intended to protect Mr. Putin."
Face-to-face on Red Square! - Putin speaks with DPRK commander after V-Day parade pic.twitter.com/7Ica2VaaRM
— Viory Video (@vioryvideo) May 9, 2026It further highlighted: "The parade on Saturday included none of the usual muscle-flexing missiles and armor. Personnel from Russian military academies and other servicemen made their way through Russia’s most famous square."
Tyler Durden Sat, 05/09/2026 - 12:15Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news,
Colossal Biosciences has announced that its de-extinct dire wolves—Romulus, Remus, and Khaleesi—are now breeding-aged and the firm plans to expand the pack later this year. The development marks a significant step for the Texas-based company in its mission to restore extinct species through genetic engineering.
The dire wolf pups, born in late 2024 and early 2025, represent the world’s first de-extinct animals. They have thrived in a secure 2,000-acre preserve, reaching milestones like learning to process whole deer carcasses and now showing readiness for natural breeding behaviors.
“The dire wolf pack is actually breeding-aged at this point,” Matt James, Colossal’s chief animal officer, said, adding “But we will initially grow the pack through assisted reproduction while we create new, genetically diverse individuals.”
The company intends to engineer two to four additional pups to boost genetic diversity before allowing full natural breeding. “The plan is to create an inter-breedable population of dire wolves in which they would eventually breed naturally to create a sustainable population of the world’s first de-extinct species,” James continued.
He further added, “We will grow the population through assisted reproduction initially and then eventually only rely on natural breeding.”
“The dire wolves are doing great,” Ben Lamm, Colossal’s CEO and co-founder, stated., adding “The three dire wolves live on a 2,000-acre secure, expansive ecological preserve that allows us to monitor and manage them while providing them a semi-wild habitat to thrive in. We hope to have more dire wolf pups by the end of the year.”
Colossal reconstructed the dire wolf genome from ancient DNA fragments in bone samples, including a 72,000-year-old skull. Scientists then edited gray wolf embryos to incorporate key traits: a white coat, larger teeth, more muscular build, and distinctive howl. Embryos were implanted in surrogate dogs, with births by caesarean section.
Watch the full story of their creation:
See the pups’ early development and first howls in over 10,000 years:
Colossal is running several parallel de-extinction projects:
In April, Colossal announced the bluebuck antelope (Hippotragus leucophaeus) as its sixth de-extinction target—the first large African mammal driven to extinction in modern history around 1800.
The striking silvery-blue antelope once roamed South Africa’s grasslands as a grazer and seed disperser. Habitat loss, farming, and overhunting by European settlers led to its disappearance.
“We don’t love that ending. So we’re rewriting it,” the company states. Using high-quality reference genomes and editing roan antelope cells (its closest relative) as surrogates. The project advances reproductive technologies like ovum pick-up, IVF, and embryo transfer for antelopes, with broader benefits for conservation.
Critics note these animals are genetically edited proxies rather than identical clones, and question ecological reintroduction risks in changed environments. Colossal emphasizes ethical animal welfare, semi-wild habitats, and using de-extinction tech to aid living endangered species.
The projects continue to draw global attention, blending advanced biotechnology with conservation goals.
For those clamouring for Jurassic Park style de-extinction of dinosaurs, however, it’s bad news. Colossal addresses common misconceptions in the video below, noting dinosaurs cannot be revived due to DNA degradation, but more recent species are feasible.
Colossal’s official dire wolf page: colossal.com/direwolf.
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Tyler Durden Sat, 05/09/2026 - 11:40