Authorities in St. Petersburg have decided to cancel this year’s major naval parade in Russia due to safety concerns, as reported by the local news outlet Fontanka on Wednesday, citing sources with knowledge of the situation.

The Navy Day parade is an annual event celebrated in St. Petersburg, where the Baltic Fleet is stationed, taking place on the last Sunday of July. Smaller celebrations are also held in the ports of Vladivostok and Kaliningrad.

Originally set for July 27, this year’s celebration has been scaled back to a wreath-laying ceremony along with public festivities in Palace Square, according to the sources cited by Fontanka.

Preparatory activities for the parade were stopped before any rehearsals commenced, the report noted.

City officials have not yet confirmed the cancellation.

In 2024, the Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg was held on July 28, although some planned activities in the nearby port city of Kronstadt were also scrapped due to safety issues.

At that time, reports indicated that Russian security services had alerted authorities about a potential attack on the naval vessels participating in the parade.

The New York Times noted that U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had held two phone conversations with Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov following warnings from Russian intelligence regarding possible covert operations by Ukraine surrounding the event.

According to the report, the threat was taken seriously enough that Austin reached out to Ukrainian officials, urging them to refrain from any possible assaults.

The inaugural Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg occurred in 2017.