For Vladimir Putin, Russia Day was traditionally a performance of strength and unity – medals, patriotic speeches, songs, and historic comparisons. This year, however, the Kremlin canceled its large-scale annual Russia Day concert on Moscow’s Red Square for the first time since the celebrations began in 2003.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Instead, the show moved to the Kremlin complex, where Putin spoke with Russian servicemen. Putin’s most notable remark was his drone revelation. He publicly admitted that Ukrainian drones are causing serious daily problems for Russian forces. “We fully understand the problems drones create for us,” Putin said. “Your commanders tell us about this all the time – every day. They repeat it to me every single day.” “I know what it means in some cases to raise your head when these drones are hanging there like flies,” Putin said. Why now? Putin’s sudden willingness to speak publicly about drones was not accidental. The drone war is no longer a classified battlefield problem hidden from the Russian public. It is visible, measurable and impossible to deny. Ukrainian drones have changed the conduct of the war. They have reached deep into Russian territory, disrupted oil refineries, struck military and industrial targets, and forced Moscow to acknowledge that its rear is no longer safe. At the front, Russian soldiers know the cost even more directly.