TIRANA – Russia will never forget the contribution to achieving the Victory by the Soviet Union’s allies in the anti-Hitler coalition as well as that by all the fighters against Nazism, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during the military parade on Moscow’s Red Square.
“We will never forget the contribution by our allies to achieving the Victory and the importance of the second front opened in June 1944,” the Russian leader said as quoted by TASS.
“We honor the memory of courageous combatants of the armed forces of all the states in the anti-Hitler coalition, the feat of the fighters against Nazism who fearlessly acted in countries of Europe,” Putin said.
As the Russian leader said at the beginning of the military parade, along with Russian servicemen, representatives of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Moldova, Mongolia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan would march on Red Square.
“We are glad to welcome our friends, guests from various countries who have arrived in Moscow to give tribute to all those who defended peace on the planet,” Putin said.
Parades to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory were held on June 24 in 28 cities across Russia, including hero cities. Many other cities observe the date with other kinds of festivities, including ceremonial processions.
The military units taking part have been in quarantine during weeks of rehearsals, avoiding contact with anyone not directly involved in the event, The parade featured some 13,000 military personnel, 234 armoured vehicles, and 75 aircraft performing the traditional flypast, reported BBC adding that units from most of the ex-Soviet republics, as well as from China, Mongolia and Serbia took part.
‘Russia is holding a massive show of military might in Moscow, and it’s crucial for Putin,” was the headline of the report published by CNBC on Wednesday. /argumentum.al
