The World War II parade traditionally takes place in Russia on May 9. However, this year's event was postponed due to the pandemic to June 24, the day when the 1945 legendary Victory Parade was held.
More than 14,000 servicemen, over 200 pieces of historical and cutting-edge military equipment, as well as 75 aircraft were involved in the landmark military parade at Moscow's iconic Red Square. Some of the advanced hardware was showcased for the first time.
Along with Russian soldiers, officers and cadets, troops from 13 other countries — Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan — have joined the parade in Moscow.
Greetings From Space
Russian cosmonauts Anatoli Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner were among the first ones to celebrate the Victory Day. The spacemen aboard the ISS thanked the Great Patriotic War veterans and participants of the 1945 historic military parade for the victory.
"Addressing the heroes of the war and the participants of the 1945 parade, we want to say: we remember, we are proud, thank you for the Victory," Vagner said in a video message.
"Exactly 75 years ago, on June 24, Soviet victorious soldiers and military equipment marched along the main square of our country, marking the long-awaited end of World War II and the victory of the Soviet people," Ivanishin noted in his turn.
According to Vagner, this year's Victory Parade in Moscow is not only a symbol of honouring the past but also expressing pride in continuing the glorious military traditions of the Russian army and demonstrating advanced technologies.
Starting From Pacific
Among the first ones to hold this year's military parade was the Russian island of Sakhalin, with over 900 troops and 32 units of military equipment.
For the first time, the crews of the S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems and the latest radio communication systems installed on the Tiger armoured cars took part in the mechanized convoy.
The legendary Soviet Katyusha rocket launcher paraded through the city's main square. According to the Sakhalin authorities, the epidemiological situation made it possible to hold a large-scale event with viewers.
Victory Day in Russia's Far East
Russia's Far Eastern Khabarovsk Territory held the Victory Parade with more than 3,400 service people and more than 160 pieces of military equipment.
"[A total of] 3,401 people took part in the main military parade of the Eastern Military District, dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Victory, which was held in Khabarovsk, including 3,078 military personnel from the Eastern Military District. Hundred sixty-four pieces of equipment were transported as part of a convoy," the military district's press service said.
Military Parade in Russia's Northern Capital
Some 4,500 troops attended the Victory Parade at the iconic Palace Square in the Russian city of St. Petersburg.
All the participants wore masks and gloves as part of the epidemiological measures against the spread of coronavirus, while military equipment was thoroughly disinfected.
Crews of the T-72B3 tanks, S-400 anti-aircraft missile systems, Msta-S self-propelled howitzer and Iskander-M tactical ballistic missile system took part in the parade, as well as the Mi-26, Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters and An-26, An-12 and Tu-134 transport planes flew over the Palace Square.
The event was attended by about 200 war veterans and the Leningrad siege remaining survivors. They were brought to the Palace Square by district administration staff in compliance with all necessary epidemiological safety measures.
Yekaterinburg, Rostov-on-Don, Kaliningrad, Novorossiysk
The Russian city of Yekaterinburg held the military parade with more than 2,000 troops, over 100 pieces of cutting-edge and historical military equipment, as well as 23 aircraft and helicopters.
The military parade was opened with a historical reconstruction, during which 11 trucks with performers in Soviet military uniforms drove along the main square of Yekaterinburg.
Historical pieces of equipment from the Great Patriotic War, namely, the T-34-85 and Katyusha rocket launchers, were shown in the Victory Parade in Rostov-on-Don, the press service of the Southern Military District said.
In total, more than 3,000 military personnel took part in the military parade on the city's Theater Square. The convoy involved about 100 weapons and military equipment, including historical samples from the Great Patriotic War.
At the end of the parade, 45 planes and helicopters of four armies of the air force and air defence of the Southern Military District flew over the city.
About 1,500 members of the Baltic Fleet and other military agencies, as well as modern military equipment in service with the fleet, took part in the Victory Parade on the main square of the city of Kaliningrad along the Baltic Coast.
At the head of the convoy, consisting of 75 units of military equipment, the legendary T-34 tank drove through the Victory Square.
Meanwhile, the southern port city on the Black Sea, Novorossiysk, held the parade in the Tsemes Bay. The military event showcased the Kasimov small anti-submarine ship, the rescue tugboat SB-742 and the hydrographic vessel GS-402, as well as the patrol boat of the Border Service of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB).
Crimean Peninsula
Victory parades in the Crimean cities of Sevastopol, Kerch and Simferopol with the participation of military personnel and equipment of the Black Sea Fleet were held at the highest level, Vice Admiral Igor Osipov, the commander in chief of the Black Sea Fleet said.
"I want to thank the troops of the Black Sea Fleet, which participated in the three hero cities (Sevastopol, Kerch and Novorossiysk) and in Simferopol. I received a report that everything went at the highest level," Osipov told reporters.
Servicemen and crews of the Black Sea Fleet ships, as well as historical and modern military equipment, took part in the Victory Parade in the largest Crimean city of Sevastopol.
The military parade and the mechanized convoy of the Black Sea Fleet were preceded by the ceremony of laying wreaths at the Eternal Flame memorial of the heroic defence of Sevastopol in 1941-1942.
Russian Military Bases in Syria, Tajikistan
The parade dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the WWII victory was held at Russia's Khmeimim airbase in Syria, with more than a thousand military personnel.
"We were honoured to participate in the parade dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic together with the Syrian army. We are united … in our responsibility for the present, future and heroic past," Alexander Chayko, the interim commander of the Eastern Military District, said.
The grand parade and celebrations also took place at the Russian 201st Military Base in Tajikistan.
The chopper took off from the Ayni airbase, 30 kilometres (18 miles) west of the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, and flew over the Russian parade ground at an altitude of 70 meters (229 feet) at a speed of 120 kilometres per hour (74 mph).