Russia's Victory Day parade begins, marking the 80th anniversary of Nazi Germany's failure
MOSCOW (AP) – Russia held a massive military parade in the Red Square on Friday for the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, with President Vladimir Putin and a group of foreign leaders participating in a massive military parade, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Lula Lula Dailva.
The country's most important secular holiday is the Victory Day celebrated in Russia. The Red Square parade and other rituals underlined Moscow has worked to project its global power and consolidate its alliance efforts while seeking a balance against the West amid Ukraine’s fourth year of conflict.
World War II was a rare event in the history of separatist history under the rule of the Communist Party, which was respected by all political groups, and the Kremlin used this sentiment to encourage national pride and emphasize Russia's position as global power.
The Soviet Union lost an astonishing 27 million people in the so-called patriotic war of 1941-45, a huge sacrifice that left deep scars in the national psychology.
This year's celebrations have been covered up by Ukrainian drone attacks targeting Moscow, which have covered the severe damage to the capital's airport.
Russian flag carrier Aeroflot canceled more than 100 flights to and from Moscow on Wednesday morning and delayed more than 140 flights as officials called it a Ukrainian drone threat.
