Russia is trying to mask its military inferiority against the West by staging another propaganda show of military might on May 9, the day Russia marks as Victory Day over Nazi Germany in World War II.

Pelted by rains and engulfed by an overcast sky (Russia didn't seed the clouds this time to ensure sunny weather as it did in past years), the ponderous parade of military hardware dressed in gloomy olive drab saw 10,000 men and women march in formation through the cobbled streets of Red Square with their chins held high.

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On display for the Russian public to gawk at were weapons that disguise the inescapable reality the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (VSRF) are a paper tiger whose growl is worse than its bite.

As anticipated, a standout among more than 100 pieces of hardware were equipment such as the Tor-M2DT all-weather low to medium altitude, short-range surface-to-air (SAM) system, and the Pantsir-SA combined short to medium range SAM and anti-aircraft artillery weapon system specially configured and camouflaged in white to operate and fight in the bitter cold of the Arctic.

Russia is preparing to fight a war against NATO and the United States for control of the mineral rich Arctic and is hardening its tanks; missile systems; vehicles, guns and other weapons against the biting cold in preparation for such a conflict.

Russian media has revealed that plans laid down by the VSRF call for establishing permanent military airfields on Russian territory within the Arctic Circle; deploying anti-ship missile and SAM systems at the bases and improving communications with submarines of the Russian Navy.

In a blatant reversal of reality, Russian president Vladimir Putin said these weapons are here to defend Russia against a looming attack by NATO and the United States.

"Our forces are capable of repelling any kind of attack," he said.

But to camouflage his revanchist strategy of reclaiming the lost lands of the defunct Soviet empire such as the Baltic States, Putin said the rearming and modernization of the VSRF is all aimed at stamping out terrorism worldwide.

He said that "to efficiently combat terrorism, Nazism, extremism, what we need is the consolidation of international community. We are strengthening that."

"Russia will always be on the side in the world of those who fight against these scourges. Dear friends, as the Second World War recedes in history, we are obliged to make sure that stability throughout the world is observed."

Putin sees the ongoing build-up of NATO and U.S. military power in Europe in response to Russia's intent to invade the Baltic States as "military aggression" aimed at derailing his expansionist designs.

Victory Day 2017 can be viewed on YouTube here.