Missile carriers rumbled across Moscow's Red Square and war planes roared overhead as Russia celebrated the 63rd anniversary of victory over Germany in 1945. Brass bands and some 8,000 soldiers clad in newly designed uniforms goose-stepped across the square as Russia's leaders watched from a platform in front of Lenin's mausoleum. Soldiers chanted "hurrah" as Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov reviewed the troops from a silver open-top limousine. This year's parade was the biggest military extravaganza seen on Red Square since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Vladimir Putin, before stepping down as Russian president, had ordered the army to revive the Soviet tradition of displaying heavy weaponry such as tanks and missiles.
The annual Victory Day parade is a key holiday in Russia - a time not only to remember the almost 27 million Soviet soldiers and citizens killed during World War II, but also to show off the country's military might.
The annual Victory Day parade is a key holiday in Russia - a time not only to remember the almost 27 million Soviet soldiers and citizens killed during World War II, but also to show off the country's military might.
Posts
