The Russian soldiers participated in the military parade of the victory day in Moscow, Russia, Friday, May 9, 2025, marking the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union against Nazi Germany during the Second World War.
Maxim Bogovid / AP / Ria Novosti Photo Animation Agency
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Maxim Bogovid / AP / Ria Novosti Photo Animation Agency
Moscow – Russia marked the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany during the Second World War with a massive military parade on the Red square on Friday to President Vladimir Putin and a series of foreign leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz INCICI LULA DA SILVA.
The Victory Day, which is celebrated in Russia on May 9, is the most important secular vacation in the country. A red square parade and other ceremonies highlight Moscow’s efforts to project its world power and cement the alliances it has forged while looking for a counterweight to the West in the middle of the Ukraine conflict which led to a fourth year.
The Second World War is a rare event in the history of the country’s division under the communist regime which is venerated by all political groups, and the Kremlin used this feeling to encourage national pride and underline the position of Russia as a global power.
From the second to the right: the president of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedow, the president of Tadjikistan Emomali Rakhmon, the Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Chinese president Xi Jinpin watches the military parade of the day of victory in Moscow, Russia, Friday, May 9, 2025, during celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the War II.
Sergei Bobylev / Ria Novosti Photo Animation Agency
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Sergei Bobylev / Ria Novosti Photo Animation Agency
The Soviet Union lost 27 million amazing people in what it called the Great Patriotic War in 1941-1945, a huge sacrifice that left a deep scar in the national psyche.
This year’s festivities were overshadowed by Ukrainian drone attacks targeting Moscow and serious disruptions in the capital’s airports.
On Wednesday morning, the Russian flag carrier canceled more than 100 flights to and from Moscow, and delayed more than 140 others while the soldiers pushed the rehearsal Ukrainian drone attacks against the capital.
Russian authorities have tightened security before the parade and internet mobile phone failures were reported in the midst of electronic countermeasures aimed at thwarting more potential drone attacks.
Speaking during the parade, Putin praised the Russian troops fighting in Ukraine, saying that “we are proud of their courage and their determination, their spiritual force which has always brought us victory”.
Russian Minister of Defense, Andrei Belousov, was led along the Red Square in an Aurus car during the military parade of the victory day in Moscow, Russia, Friday May 9, 2025, marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union victory against Nazi Germany during the Second World War.
Alexander Wilf / AP / Ria Novosti Photo Host Agency
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Alexander Wilf / AP / Ria Novosti Photo Host Agency
The Russian chief declared a unilateral ceasefire of 72 hours from Wednesday to coincide with the celebrations of the victory day, but warned that the Russian troops would retaliate to all the attacks. Moscow is reluctant to accept a 30-day truce proposed by the United States that Ukraine has accepted, binding it to the cessation of Western weapons supplies to Ukraine and the kyiv mobilization effort, the conditions of Ukraine and its Western allies have rejected.
On Friday, the Ukrainian authorities reported dozens of Russian strikes who killed at least two people in the regions of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia and damaged the buildings.
While the parade of the Red Square and other festivities took place in Moscow, dozens of European officials met in Lviv, in the west of Ukraine, to approve the creation of a special court responsible for pursuing Russian officials accused of war crimes.
