![]() President Petro Poroshenko of war-torn Ukraine has branded Russia’s show of military might a “parade of cynicism”. German Chancellor Angela Merkel ducked out of attending the parade but was to fly to Moscow on Sunday, May 10, to lay a wreath at the grave of the Unknown Soldier. United States President Barack Obama has snubbed the festivities, as have the leaders of Russia’s other key WWII allies Britain and France. ![]() Victory Day traditionally unites Russians across political divides and huge crowds were expected to flood into central Moscow.īut the Kremlin parade was overshadowed by the Ukraine crisis, with the West slapping sanctions on Moscow over Russia’s seizure of Crimea and support for separatists in eastern Ukraine. The Soviet Union lost an estimated 27 million soldiers and civilians in WWII – more than any other country – and the Red Army’s triumph remains an enormous source of national pride. US actor Steven Seagal also watched the parade as did a leather-clad Alexander Zaldostanov, leader of a Kremlin-backed biker gang. Raul Castro of Cuba, Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Jacob Zuma of South Africa were also in attendance. In a gesture highlighting Russia’s new-found religious fervor, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu crossed himself at the start of the parade, and at noon church bells tolled for fifteen minutes.īesides China’s Xi, other high-profile guests at the parade were United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon, India’s President Pranab Mukherjee, and Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt. The parade also saw over a hundred military aircraft – including long-range nuclear bombers – swoop over Moscow in a spectacular fly-by. ![]() In a finely choreographed spectacle, troops including soldiers sporting Soviet-era uniforms and rifles and a cavalry regiment marched across Red Square’s famed cobbles as Putin, seated next to China’s Xi Jinping, looked on.Ĭutting-edge military equipment including the next-generation Armata T-14 tank and nuclear missile systems rumbled through the square along with the famed war-era T-34 tank, in one of the biggest Victory Day celebrations in decades. More than 16,000 soldiers including troops from China, India, Mongolia, Serbia and several ex-Soviet states marched past the leaders. Speaking at a reception later, Putin said international relations should be guided by the WWII-era “spirit of allied partnership”. In an apparent dig at the United States, Putin also criticized attempts to establish a “unipolar” world order and stressed the need to develop a “system of equal security for all states”, but he conspicuously shunned more aggressive rhetoric and made no mention of the Ukraine crisis. “We are grateful to the people of Great Britain, France and the United States for their contribution to victory,” he added, also thanking those who fought against the Nazis in other countries including Germany. “Our fathers and grandfathers went through unbearable suffering, deprivation and losses,” Putin said, feting the country’s veterans and the “grandeur of Victory over Nazism”. In what is seen as punishment for Kremlin meddling in Ukraine, Western countries led by Russia’s World War II allies snubbed the May 9 festivities, leaving Putin to mark the day in the company of the leaders of China, Cuba and other Moscow-friendly figures.Īddressing thousands of foreign guests and veterans, Putin chose to ignore the boycott, thanking Britain, France and the US for their “contribution” to the defeat of Germany. ![]() MOSCOW, Russia – Russian President Vladimir Putin shrugged off a boycott by Western leaders at a huge military parade Saturday, May 9, to mark the 70th anniversary of victory in WWII before joining mammoth crowds for a commemorative march. ![]()
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