highlights

Victory Day military parade held on Red Square

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2011-05-09 15:57

Russian military personnel march along Red Square during a military parade on Victory Day in Moscow May 9, 2011. Russia celebrates the 66th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany. [Photo/Agencies]

MOSCOW - A military parade marking the 66th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi in the Great Patriotic War was held on Moscow's Red Square Monday.

About 20,000 soldiers and cadets were matching through the square as Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, foreign guests and hundreds of war veterans watched from a podium in front of Lenin's mausoleum.

According to local media, 200 officers from Russia's Space Force participated into the V-Day parade for the first time.

Over 100 pieces of military hardware, including Topol-M ballistic missile launchers, S-400 Triumph air defense missiles and Iskander-M missile launchers, were also displayed in the march pass.

A group of Mi-8 multirole helicopters flew over the Red Square during the parade, carrying Russian state and military flags.

According to the Russian Interior Ministry, more than 20,000 police officers were deployed in the Russian capital to maintain security during the Red Square parade and over 200 other festive events in the city.

The Moscow authorities have allocated about 102 million rubles (about $3.7 million) to the parade which is seen as the key episode of the Victory Day celebrations in Russia.

Around 14 million people are expected to attend V-Day celebrations, including 100 military parades, in about 5,300 Russian cities this year, reported RIA Novosti news agency.

The first Victory Day parade was held on Red Square on June 24, 1945 on the order of Joseph Stalin.