Moscow marks 80th Victory Day with military parade on Red Square

Russia held a military parade on Red Square on Friday to mark the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War Two, with over 11,500 troops taking part, including more than 1,500 Russian servicemen who fought in the war in Ukraine.

For the first time, Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov oversaw the parade. President Vladimir Putin addressed the nation at the ceremony, calling Victory Day "the most important holiday" for Russia and vowing never to accept the distortion of WWII history.

Among those attending alongside Putin were leaders from more than 20 countries, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, and the presidents of Brazil, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Burkina Faso, and Congo.

The parade featured a wide display of modern weaponry. Russia’s Ministry of Defence showcased reconnaissance vehicles BRM-1K, 152mm artillery systems “Giatsint-K” and “Malva,” as well as drones including Orlan-10, Orlan-30, Zala, Lancet-51 and Lancet-52, all of which are being used in the war against Ukraine.

Missile systems such as Yars, Iskander, and Tornado-S were also on display, alongside TOS-2 heavy flamethrower systems. In the air, the “Russian Knights” and “Swifts” aerobatic teams flew over the Kremlin in Su-30 and MiG-29 fighter jets.

Azerbaijan led the foreign military contingents marching through Red Square, followed by delegations from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, China, and Laos.

Later, President Putin met with military personnel from North Korea and conveyed his congratulations on Victory Day, asking that his words of gratitude be passed on to the Korean People's Army.

The Kremlin said the parade program included a ceremonial troop formation, Putin’s speech, a foot march of military units, and a display of combat hardware. The event lasted around two hours.