Russia celebrates World War II victory

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that the Russians will always remember the alliance against the Nazis, and it is unacceptable that the West tried to distort the truth about World War II.

"Revanchism, the mockery of history and striving to justify to current followers of Nazism are part of the Western elites' general policy of instigating new regional conflicts, interethnic and interreligious strife, and containing sovereign, independent centers of world development," Putin said on Red Square after Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu reviewed the troops.

"We know what the exorbitance of such ambitions leads to. Russia will do everything to prevent a global clash. But at the same time, we will not allow anyone to threaten us. Our strategic forces are always in a state of combat readiness," he said.

The parade marks the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The Soviet Union lost 27 million people in the war, and eventually pushed Nazi forces back to Berlin. Later, the red Soviet Victory Banner was raised over the Reichstag, or German parliament, in 1945.

Germany's unconditional surrender came into force on May 8,1945, and it is marked as "Victory in Europe Day" by France, the United Kingdom and the United States. In Moscow, the Soviet Union's "Victory Day" falls on May 9.

It has since become one of Russia's most important public holidays.

This year, the parade on Moscow's Red Square involves over 9,000 troops. The parade also featured Russia's Yars intercontinental ballistic missile, which a TV announcer said has "a guaranteed capability to strike a target on any point of the globe".

The parade began with the march of the Preobrazhensky Regiment Honor Guard's banner group carrying the Russian national flag and the legendary Victory Banner across Red Square.

Putin, war veterans and guests watched the parade from the central stand on Red Square.

"Dear friends, Russia is now going through a difficult, crucial period. The fate of the Motherland, its future depends on each of us," Putin said.

Putin noted that the country celebrated Victory Day "in the context of the special military operation". "All participants — those who are on the front line, on the line of combat contact — are our heroes. The whole of Russia is with you," he said.

Nine foreign leaders attended Thursday's parade, Russian state media reported, including heads of six former Soviet countries — Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan — as well as the leaders of Cuba, Laos and Guinea-Bissau.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Moscow did not send out invitations to any ambassadors nor officials from "unfriendly countries".

"They have not been invited since 2022 because the regimes in these countries are pursuing … an aggressive policy toward our country," she said. However, she said veteran organizations in unfriendly countries were not affected by such a decision.