By – Lawal Sale
Russia held its annual Victory Day parade on the Red Square on Saturday, marking the 81st anniversary of the victory over the Nazi Germany during the Soviet Union’s Great Patriotic War.
Addressing troops, foreign leaders and guests ahead of the parade, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Victory Day is the country’s “sacred, bright and most important” holiday.
He said preserving the memory of the events of the Great Patriotic War, as well as its true history and heroes, is a matter of honor for the country and the Russian people, adding that Soviet soldiers suffered great losses and made a great sacrifice in the name of freedom and dignity of the peoples of Europe.
Putin said Russian soldiers today are confronting an aggressive force armed and supported by the entire North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) bloc, and they continue to move forward despite the situation.
According to him, despite NATO’s interference, Russian heroes move forward, reiterating that “Victory has always been, and will always be ours”
President Vladimir Putin and the foreign Leaders who attended the celebrations took part in a solemn ceremony and laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – honouring the Soviet heroes who gave their lives to free humanity from Nazism.
The ceremony was attended by:
• President of the Republic of Abkhazia Badra Gunba
• President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko
• President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
• President of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic Thongloun Sisoulith
• Supreme Ruler of Malaysia Sultan Ibrahim
• President of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik
• President of Republika Srpska (Bosnia and Herzegovina) Sinisa Karan
• President of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska Nenad Stevandic
• President of the Republic of South Ossetia Alan Gagloyev
• President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev.
Russia has held the Victory Day parade and a series of celebrations on May 9 annually since 1995.
The parade ended with an airshow over the square. (GSF)