[2] Outlets including the BBC and the Moscow Times reported that state employees were transported to the venue, and other attendees were paid or forced to attend.

[6]The rally's content, described by Agence France-Presse as "heavily anti-Western and filled with Soviet nostalgia," emphasized patriotism, heroism, and support for the military.

[7] Polina Gagarina, who represented Russia in the Eurovision Song Contest 2015, performed her cover of "Kukushka" from the 2015 film Battle for Sevastopol.

[4] Other speakers at the event included RT editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan, who said, "This is for our boys who are fighting scum right now";[17] Moscow mayor Sergey Sobyanin, who thanked "the guys who with weapons in their hands defend Russian citizens in the Donbas ... Half the world has united against us, but Russia is a strong country";[18] and Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Maria Zakharova, who called Russia "a country and nation that safeguards peace and fights evil".

[20] Athletes in attendance included cross-country skier Alexander Bolshunov; figure skaters Nikita Katsalapov, Vladimir Morozov, Victoria Sinitsina, and Evgenia Tarasova; rhythmic gymnasts Dina Averina and Arina Averina; wrestlers Abdulrashid Sadulaev, Zaur Uguev, and Zaurbek Sidakov; and swimmer Evgeny Rylov.

[23][24] Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in a video message released on 19 March, mentioned the rally:[25] Many words were heard in Moscow today in connection with the anniversary of the seizure of Crimea.

[20][29][30][31] The Times described the athletes as "being paraded ... at the Luzhniki Stadium as the Russian president's warm-up act" at a "pro-war propaganda rally.

"[32] Photographs posted to social media by some athletes blurred the "Z" symbols they had worn, which was interpreted as recognition of the war's lack of popularity amongst younger Russians.

"[33][34] Rylov's appearance resulted in a FINA investigation on the grounds of "bringing aquatic sports into disrepute" and the loss of his sponsorship contract with Speedo, which said it would donate the remainder of his funding to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.