Russian President Vladimir Putin and foreign leaders from Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan arrived in Moscow’s Red Square to take part in the Victory parade.
The parade started with the presentation of the symbols: the legendary Victory Banner (flag of the Soviet Union which was planted on the Reichstag Palace in Berlin in 1945) and the Russian flag.
The Minister of Defense Sergey Shoigu saluted the troops gathered for the parade in the Red Square. He began the inspection of the troops taking part in the event and after that reported to President Vladimir Putin on their readiness for the parade.
The president delivered his speech to the nation on the occasion of the 78th anniversary of Victory over the Nazis. Putin underlined that global civilization is today at a turning point, saying that some Western nations want to destroy any sovereign centers of development.
"Their goal, and there is nothing new here, is to achieve the disintegration and destruction of our country, to cross out the results of the Second World War, to finally break the system of global security and international law, to strangle any sovereign centers of development," Putin said.
According to the president, the West provokes conflicts and revolutions and destroys traditional values. He highlighted that Russia wants to see a stable and peaceful future, adding that any ideology of superiority is unacceptable. The president noted that those who follow this path must have forgotten what the Nazi ideology led to. He underscored that these kind of ambitions and arrogance always turn into catastrophe.
"Like the vast majority of people on the planet, we want to see a future of peace, freedom and stability," the president said.
Putin likewise emphasized that the arrival of the leaders of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Moscow to attend the Victory Day Parade on May 9 shows their "grateful attitude to the act of bravery of our ancestors."
President Putin pronounced a minute of silence in memory of "our fathers and mothers, sons and daughters," those who sacrificed their lives for the sake of a brighter future for generations to come.
He also addressed those who are now in the battlefields, participating in the special military operation in Ukraine. He stated that today the country also celebrates their feats, as these battles "decide the fate of our motherland." Putin emphasized that "the future depends on you and everybody is praying for you."
He underscored that solidarity is "our priceless legacy," and there is nothing stronger than "our unity and our love to the motherland." After his speech, the national anthem of the Russian Federation was played.
Over 10,000 soldiers were involved in the parade, along with more than 120 different units of weaponry and equipment. Among them, the T-34 tank - which participated in World War II becoming one of the symbols of Victory - entered Red Square.
Apart from the legendary tank, Iars, Iskander, S-400 missile systems, and armored personnel carriers took part in Moscow's Victory Parade.
Following the World War Two Victory Day parade in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu held a brief conversation. The president, together with the defense minister, had a separate conversation with the commanders of the units that participated in the parade.
Then Putin went to the Alexander Garden to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier together with foreign leaders who arrived in Moscow to attend the parade.
Victory Day is a major Russian holiday that commemorates the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945. It was on May 8, 1945, (or May 9 in Moscow’s time zone) that Germany signed its Instrument of Surrender in Berlin, ending years of fighting in Europe.
The parade is a commemoration of the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Red Army that marks the end of the Eastern Front of World War II, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War.