Russia yesterday staged a huge military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of victory over Nazi Germany in a conspicuous show of military might amid a standoff with the West over Ukraine.
Western countries, led by Russia’s World War II allies, boycotted yesterday’s festivities, leaving Russian President Vladimir Putin to mark the day in the company of the leaders of China, Cuba and Venezuela.
About 16,000 Russian troops took part in a parade on Moscow’s Red Square that showcased cutting-edge weapons, including Russia’s next-generation Armata T-14 tank, in one of the nation’s biggest Victory Day celebrations in decades.
Photo: Reuters
The then-Soviet Union lost an estimated 27 million soldiers and civilians in WWII — more than any other participant — and the Russian Red Army’s triumph remains an enormous source of national pride.
SHADES OF CRIMEA?
However, the Kremlin festivities were being overshadowed by the Ukraine crisis, with the West initiating sanctions against Moscow over Russia’s seizure of the Crimean Peninsula and its alleged support for pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Photo: EPA
US President Barack Obama has snubbed the festivities, as have the leaders of Russia’s other key WWII allies, Britain and France. German Chancellor Angela Merkel has ducked out of attending the parade, but is expected to fly to Moscow today to lay a wreath at the grave of the Unknown Soldier and meet with Putin.
The most high-profile guests on the podium next to Putin were Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Indian President Pranab Mukherjee.
Other presidents attending were Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt, Raul Castro of Cuba, Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Jacob Zuma of South Africa.
The 70th anniversary celebrations stand in contrast with the festivities held a decade ago, when Putin hosted the leaders of the US, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.
Yesterday morning, many Muscovites sported garrison caps and black-and-orange striped ribbons that have become a symbol of patriotism in recent years.
More than 70 percent of Russians say that a close family member was killed or went missing during WWII, making Victory Day an emotional symbol of unity for the nation.
‘IMMORTAL REGIMENT’
Later yesterday, about 200,000 people were expected to march through Red Square with portraits of relatives who fought in the war, in a Kremlin-backed campaign dubbed the “Immortal Regiment.”
In recent years, victory in what Russians see as a conflict from 1941 to 1945 and known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War has been raised to cult status, and critics accuse Putin of seeking to co-opt national history to boost his personal power.
The Kremlin has also used WWII narratives to rally support for its political agenda, including painting the Ukrainian government as Nazi sympathizers.
This year, 100 military planes — including long-range bombers — were to swoop over Moscow in a fly-by.
Also on display for the first time were examples of weaponry designed to replace creaking Soviet-era equipment.
Among the most prominent is the tracked Armata Universal Combat Platform, which represents a key part of the major overhaul of Moscow’s armory.
Smaller parades in 25 other cities were to involve 25,000 soldiers and even nuclear submarines, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said in a statement.
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