President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday (24 June) presided over a large miliatry parade on Moscow's Red Square to mark the 75th anniversary of the victory over fascism in World War II.
Units of some former Soviet Republics, including Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as from China, India, Mongolia and Serbia, also participated in the parade.In May, President Vladimir Putin reluctantly postponed the big annual celebration because of the coronavirus pandemic.
It is 75 years since the then USSR defeated Nazi Germany. World War Two cost more than 20 million Soviet lives.
Moscow's lockdown has eased this month, enabling the parade, featuring tanks and long-range missiles, to go ahead.
Some leaders of former Soviet republics are also attending the parade, but President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia decided not to participate because of the current situation around the pandemic.
source; commonspace.eu
photo: aerial view of the parade (screen grab from TASS broadcast)