Russian President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Vladimir Putin received the parade dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory Day from the central tribune on Red Square in Moscow, TASS reported. BTA reported.
Before the military units marched through Red Square, Putin traditionally delivered a speech. He congratulated Russians on the occasion of the holiday, recalled the heroic deeds of their ancestors and declared a minute of silence in memory of the fallen.
„Dear citizens of Russia! Dear veterans, distinguished guests! Comrade soldiers and sailors! Sergeants and non-commissioned officers! Midshipmen and ensigns! Comrade officers, generals and admirals! I congratulate you on the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War!“, Putin said in his address to the parade participants.
“Truth and justice are on our side. The whole country, society and people support the participants in the special military operation. We are proud of their courage and determination. With this strength of spirit, which has always brought us only victory“, Putin said, quoted by Lenta.ru. He also stressed that Russia remembers the lessons of World War II and will never agree to the distortion of its history. The head of state added that Russia has been and will be an indestructible barrier to Nazism, Russophobia and anti-Semitism.
In addition to representatives of the Russian Armed Forces, parade formations from 13 other countries also marched through Red Square, including Belarus, China, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Uzbekistan, Vietnam and Egypt, TASS reports. The parade formation from China was the largest of the foreign ones.
Putin hosted the parade on May 9 in his capacity as Supreme Commander-in-Chief for the 22nd time. He first appeared on Red Square on Victory Day in 2000. The parades were hosted by the then Supreme Commander-in-Chief and President Dmitry Medvedev from 2008 to 2011. Putin, then prime minister, was also present at the podium.
Security measures this year were even tighter than usual because of threats from Ukraine that it would not respect a unilateral ceasefire declared by Putin, DPA noted. Most countries in Europe marked the anniversary yesterday, but Russia traditionally holds its annual parade on May 9.
Parades in the Russian Far East, including in Vladivostok and Novosibirsk, ended earlier today.