Menu
Latest
Menu
Latest
Commentary

Preparations for Victory Day celebrations in full swing in Moscow.

7 May 2015

Moscow is "en fete" in preparation for Victory Day celebrations which will be marked on 9 May with a large military parade. The final rehearsal for the parade took place on Red Square on Thursday. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu observed today's rehearsal. Oleg Salyukov, Commander-in-Chief of the Land Forces, commanded the parade.

After a traditional announcement "Attention, Moscow is speaking!" and Kremlin bells ringing, the 154th Preobrzhensky Regiment military personnel brought Russia's flag and the Victory Banner to Red Square.

Russians on Saturday will honor the memory of those who died in the Great Patriotic War with a moment of silence twice. "It is planned that during the parade on Red Square, Russian President Vladimir Putin will announce a moment of silence to honor the memory of all those who died in the Great Patriotic War. On the same day, at 6.55pm Moscow time, all federal TV channels will broadcast a special program ‘In memory of those who died in fight against Nazism' that will start with a sound of metronome which became the symbol of remembering the victims of that war," the Organizing Committee of 70th anniversary of Victory Day celebrations said on Thursday.

The Russian News Agency Itar-Tass said that the anniversary parade in Moscow on May 9 will be one of the most massive events in the history of celebrations. Among those who will take part in the parade are 16,000 servicemen, 194 units of ground military equipment, 143 planes and helicopters, including newest equipment of the Airborne Troops, such as BMD-4M airborne combat vehicle, BTR-MD Rakushka armored personnel carrier, Yars intercontinental ballistic missile complex. Models of armored vehicles constructed on the basis of Armata, Kurganets and Bumerang platforms will be part of the mechanized column.

Military units from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, India, Mongolia, Serbia, and China will participate in the parade.

Other former Soviet republics were invited to send military units to the parade but have declined.

Victory in Europe Day is celebrated in other parts of Europe on 8 May, usually with memorial services honouring those who died in the struggle against fascism and nazism. There will be a low key representation of NATO and EU countries at the Moscow parade because of the situation in Ukraine.

source: commonspace.eu with Itar-Tass.

Photo: Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.

 

Related articles

Editor's choice
News
Uzbekistan calls for bigger voice for Central Asia in the UN
Trending

Uzbekistan calls for bigger voice for Central Asia in the UN

26 September 2026
Uzbekistan called for a more effective and representative United Nations on September 23, as presidential administration chief Saida Mirziyoyeva used her address to the UN General Assembly to seek support for the country’s candidacy for a nonpermanent Security Council seat in 2035–2036. Speaking at the Assembly’s 81st session in New York, Mirziyoyeva argued that international cooperation remains necessary despite growing geopolitical divisions. She endorsed UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ UN80 reform initiative and called for an expanded Security Council, arguing that international rules should be applied consistently rather than according to the interests of powerful states. Uzbekistan’s planned chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement in 2027 was presented as another platform for promoting dialogue. Her emphasis on multilateralism also fits a broader Central Asian effort to increase the region’s role in international institutions. Kyrgyzstan, for example, will hold its first Security Council seat in 2027–2028. Mirziyoyeva also highlighted regional cooperation, pointing to improved relations among Central Asian states over longstanding border and water disputes. On Afghanistan, she urged countries not to view it solely as a security threat, stressing the importance of creating conditions for peaceful development. She linked Uzbekistan’s international agenda to domestic reforms, citing economic growth, falling poverty and expanded education. Climate and water security also featured prominently, with the Aral Sea serving as an example of the consequences of poor environmental management. (click image to read more)
Editor's choice
News
Kazakhstan declares national day of mourning after tragedy
Trending

Kazakhstan declares national day of mourning after tragedy

25 September 2026
Kazakh president, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, declared September 25 a national day of mourning following the deaths of servicemen during military exercises in the Caspian Sea. Twelve Kazakh servicemen died after being swept into the Caspian Sea during the Khazar Qorgany–2026 naval exercises in the Mangystau region on Thursday (September 24). The incident occurred after weather conditions suddenly deteriorated and winds intensified during a combat training mission. In a Telegram post, the Ministry of Defence reported that 19 servicemen had been swept into the sea. So far, three have been rescued, one of whom was hospitalized, while 12 bodies have been recovered.  Search operations were continuing for the remaining four servicemen. A large-scale rescue and recovery effort has been launched, involving Kazakhstan’s Naval Forces, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, aviation assets and other relevant services.   Deputy Prime Minister Kanat Bozumbayev, who is leading a government commission at the scene, ordered a continuous, round-the-clock search for those still missing. Authorities were also instructed to provide financial and other assistance to the families of the deceased. (click image to read in full)

Popular

Editor's choice
Interview
Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov
Trending

Thursday Interview: Murad Muradov

15 January 2026
Today, commonspace.eu starts a new regular weekly series. THURSDAY INTERVIEW, conducted by Lauri Nikulainen, will host  persons who are thinkers, opinion shapers, and implementors in their countries and spheres. We start the series with an interview with Murad Muradov, a leading person in Azerbaijan's think tank community. He is also the first co-chair of the Action Committee for a new Armenian-Azerbaijani Dialogue. Last September he made history by being the first Azerbaijani civil society activist to visit Armenia after the 44 day war, and the start of the peace process. Speaking about this visit Murad Muradov said: "My experience was largely positive. My negative expectations luckily didn’t play out. The discussions were respectful, the panel format bringing together experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey was particularly valuable during the NATO Rose-Roth Seminar in Yerevan, and media coverage, while varied in tone, remained largely constructive. Some media outlets though attempted to represent me as more of a government mouthpiece than an independent expert, which was totally misleading.  Overall, I see these initiatives as important steps in rebuilding trust and normalising professional engagement. The fact that soon a larger Azerbaijani civil society visits to Armenia followed, reinforces the sense that this process is moving in the right direction." (click the image to read the interview in full)
Murad Muradov
Lauri Nikulainen interviews Murad Muradov