Russia commemorated 80 years since defeating Nazi Germany during World War II on Friday, marking the day with a lavish Victory Day military parade in Moscow’s Red Square, led by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Commemorations took place amid heightened security after days of Ukrainian drone strikes targeting the Russian capital.
Putin used his speech to tie the war to today’s invasion of Ukraine, and said all of Russia was behind what he called the “special military operation,” now in its fourth year. Moscow had announced a unilateral, three-day ceasefire to coincide with the 80th anniversary event, which Ukraine dismissed as a “theatrical show.”
“In Russia, Victory Day is celebrated as the most important holiday,” Putin said among other remarks, emphasizing that his country remembers the lessons of World War II.
The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in World War II.
Before Putin’s address and a one-minute silence, the commander of ground troops, Oleg Salyukov, led 11,000 troops into Red Square, including some 1,500 who had fought in Ukraine. They were then inspected by Defense Minister Andrei Belousov.
The Russian President was joined by his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, who sat alongside Vladimir Putin on the platform in Red Square sporting an orange and black St. George ribbon, which Russia sees as a symbol of military glory. Russia said 27 international leaders were attending the event.
Among the soldiers joining the parade were 102 Chinese troops, as well as contingents from North Korea, Vietnam and Mongolia.
Joining the parade was a wide variety of modern Russian military hardware, including Yars missile systems, tanks and armored personnel carriers. Six Su-25 military jets flew over Red Square to complete the parade.
Russia celebrates Victory Day on a different date to Europe
Other European countries have long celebrated on May 8 to commemorate the day Nazi Germany surrendered in 1945.
Russia honors the Soviet Union‘s victory over Nazi Germany on each May 9, with an enormous military parade in Moscow’s Red Square to display the country’s military prowess.
It was first inaugurated in the 15 republics of the Soviet Union, following the signing of the German Instrument of Surrender late in the evening of May 8, 1945 (9 May Moscow Time). The Soviet government announced the victory early on 9 May after the signing ceremony in Berlin.
The Russian Federation has officially recognized 9 May since its formation in 1991 and considers it a nonworking holiday even if it falls on a weekend. Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Mongolia, Serbia and a number of former Soviet republics also celebrate May 9.
Nazi Germany and its allies invaded the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941 and quickly conquered large swaths of Soviet territory.
German forces waged a “war of annihilation” against the Soviet Union, with the Soviet forces eventually pushing back the Axis forces and finally conquering Berlin in the spring of 1945.
The German-Soviet theater of war, often referred to as the “Eastern Front,” was the largest and deadliest of World War II. It lasted from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945. Of the estimated 70-85 million deaths attributed to World War II, around 30 million occurred on the Eastern Front, including those of nine million children.
