November 7 was a national holiday commemorating the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. The holiday was replaced in 2005 by National Unity Day, which is now celebrated on November 4.
Another parade was staged on Wednesday in central Moscow commemorating the 66th anniversary of the historic 1941 military parade on Red Square. The march involved over 1,000 servicemen dressed in 1941 military uniform, and around 8,000 cadets.
Some 70 WWII veterans who took part in the original 1941 parade also attended as guests of honor.
A veteran said the 1941 parade, which was held to demonstrate the unfailing military spirit of Soviet soldiers, encouraged both the Red Army and other nations fighting the Nazis.
The November Bolshevik Revolution was a second stage in the overall Russian Revolution of 1917, which started in the February. The Bolshevik Revolution, which overthrew the Russian Provisional Government and gave power to the Soviets dominated by the Bolsheviks, was followed by the Russian Civil War (1917-1922) and the creation of the Soviet Union in 1922.