Vladimir Putin has used his annual Victory Day speech in Moscow's Red Square to justify his war in Ukraine and denounce Nato.

Speaking in front of hundreds of military personnel, the Russian president said he was fighting a "just" war and called Ukraine an "aggressive force" that is being "armed and supported by the whole bloc of Nato".

His remarks come amid muted celebrations across Russia to mark the nation's biggest national holiday, commemorating the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany.

Ahead of the celebrations, curtailed for security reasons amid fears of Ukrainian attack, Russia and Ukraine agreed to observe a three-day ceasefire, announced by US President Donald Trump on Friday.

Following the parade, Russia's defence ministry accused Ukraine of breaking the ceasefire, without providing details. Ukraine did not immediately comment.

For the first time in years, no armoured vehicles or ballistic missiles featured in Moscow's Victory Day parade.

But under tightened security, military personnel marched in droves across Red Square.

Addressing the crowd, Putin started his speech by commemorating the sacrifices of Soviet soldiers during World War Two.

"The great feat of the generation of victors inspires the soldiers carrying out the goals of the special military operation today," he said, referring to the war in Ukraine which has been going on for more than four years.

"They are confronting an aggressive force armed and supported by the whole bloc of Nato. And despite this, our heroes move forward."

The Russian leader went on to celebrate the citizens of Russia, making reference to the contributions of workers to its war effort, including scientists, inventors, military correspondents, doctors and teachers.

"No matter how military tactics change, the future of the country is being provided for by the people," he said.

Immediately after the speech, cannons fired successive rounds before music was played by a military brass band.

Foreign guests in attendance included Belarus's leader Alexander Lukashenko, Malaysia's King Sultan Ibrahim and Uzbekistan's President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, the only representative of the EU to attend, was also pictured meeting Putin at the Kremlin ahead of the parade.

Markedly fewer world leaders turned up compared to last year's 80th anniversary parade, which featured 27 leaders including China's President Xi Jinping and Brazil's Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Russian TV viewers were shown a broadcast of soldiers on the front lines after Putin's speech.

Following the ceremony in Red Square, Putin laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier before attending a reception at the Kremlin.

Victory Day celebrations took place in other parts of Russia, though in fewer numbers than previous years.

In far-eastern Vladivostok, a parade and an Immortal Regiment march honoured war veterans.

Marches also took place in a number of other cities including Krasnoyarsk, in Siberia, and St Petersburg, state media reported.

Other parades were called off altogether.

Some virtual events were scheduled to take place instead, though internet outages were expected to disrupt them.

Under Putin, Victory Day has been used a propaganda tool to show off Russia's military might.

But it is also seen as a moment to remember the sacrifices made in World War Two – or the Great Patriotic War as it is called in Russia – in which 27 million Soviet citizens died.

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine was launched in 2022.

Despite the movement of troops and military equipment to the front lines, Russia had continued to feature military hardware such as tanks, missiles and other weapons in its annual Moscow parade up until now.

But last week officials announced this year's parade would be scaled back, citing the "current operational situation".

"Our tanks are busy right now," Russian MP Yevgeny Popov told the BBC earlier this week. "They are fighting. We need them more on the battlefield than on Red Square."

Security measures have also been tightened, with threats of Ukrainian drones used to justify the paring back of this year's parade.

A three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine appeared to hold as the parade took place in Moscow.

But afterwards, Russia's defence ministry claimed Ukraine had violated the truce. It added that Russia would continue to observe the ceasefire.

Earlier in the week, Putin had announced a ceasefire for 8-9 May, while Kyiv had called for an indefinite truce, starting 6 May.

Since those announcements, the two countries have accused each other of extensive battlefield ceasefire violations.

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One person has suffered life-threatening injuries after a car crashed into five pedestrians in a town centre.

Nottinghamshire Police said an "argument" is believed to have taken place before a red Vauxhall Astra struck a group in Market Place, Arnold, at about 01:10 BST on Saturday.

The driver, believed to be a white man, abandoned the car and left the scene. Police added counter terrorism officers were not involved in their investigations and there was "no indication" of "any ongoing threat to the wider public".

Market Place and the junctions from Gedling Road to Derby Street, Hallams Lane and Central Avenue were cordoned off as investigations continued.

Police said the closures were expected to remain in place "for some time" and advised people to avoid the area.

Det Ch Insp Ruby Burrow said there was no indication at this stage of any ongoing threat to the wider public and asked for witnesses to come forward.

"This was a serious incident which will have caused concern in the community," she said.

"We believe an argument has taken place in Arnold town centre and this has resulted in a car being driven at a group of people.

"We know five people were injured but we'd still like to hear from anyone else involved.

"Any witnesses who were in Arnold Market Place, or the wider town centre area around this time, should also get in touch."

She added: "A number of roads are closed while investigations continue and we'd thank people for their understanding."

Michael Payne, MP for Gedling, told the BBC at the scene: "We're a tight-knit community in Arnold.

"This has been my home my entire life. I live in Arnold and we'll respond in the usual way as a community and will support the police in the important work they're doing.

"My best wishes go to the individuals who've been hurt in the incident and I seriously hope that the said individual who's got life-threatening injuries makes a recovery. My thoughts are with them and their family."

Payne attended the scene alongside Gedling Borough Council leader John Clarke.

Clarke spoke of a need for barriers along the road, adding that the borough council had called for the road to be blocked off to traffic.

He added: "There need to be barriers, there needs to be prevention, and we need to look at it seriously to make people feel safe, to make the businesses stay here so they'll prosper."

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Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said his party offers an alternative to the "extremes" of Reform UK and the Greens, as he hailed gains across England and Scotland.

The Lib Dems gained 153 councillors in England, winning control of Stockport and Portsmouth council, and six seats in the Scottish Parliament.

However, the party's gains were more modest than those of Reform UK and the Green Party of England and Wales, with the Lib Dems primarily benefitting from a slump in support for Labour and the Conservatives.

In Hull, a Reform UK surge saw the Lib Dems lose control of the council, while Nigel Farage's party thwarted their hopes of winning in Tory-run Hampshire.

Speaking on a visit to Edinburgh on Saturday, Sir Ed said: "There's no doubt that British politics is in flux, the old two parties have failed, people looking for change.

"I think the option for British people is the change of the populist parties on the extremes of left and right – Reform and the Greens – or change that is true to British values from the Liberal Democrats.

"Many people voted for that type of change and I'm going to champion that."

Challenged over whether his party was losing momentum, Sir Ed it was the eighth consecutive year of net gains for the Lib Dems in English council elections, while the party had its best result for nearly 20 years in Scotland.

He added: "Clearly, the populist parties on the extremes of left and right have also done well.

"But I think the more that they are exposed and the more people see their policies, they will realise they are either pipe dreams or the politics of division."

In Stockport and Portsmouth, where the Liberal Democrats were already the largest party, Labour losses saw the Lib Dems win control of the council, despite a challenge from Reform UK.

The Lib Dems also cemented their dominance in Sutton and Richmond-upon-Thames, south-west London, where they now hold every seat on the council.

In south-east England, the party profited from a drop in support for the Conservatives, winning the two new councils of East and West Surrey.

However, despite winning nine more seats on Hampshire Council, bigger gains for Reform UK left no party in overall control.

In the Scottish Parliament election, the Lib Dems increased their number of seats to 10, winning Edinburgh Northern and Strathkelvin and Bearsden off the SNP.

The Lib Dems also overturned a large SNP majority in Sky, Lochaber and Badenoch.

However, there was a shock loss for the party to the SNP in their traditional stronghold seat of Shetland.

In Wales, the party's leader Jane Dodds returned to the Senedd but remains the only Lib Dem in the Welsh parliament.

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