The first Victory Day Parade in Moscow was held by the Soviet Army on June 24, 1945, over a month after the capitulation of Germany. However, Victory Day didn’t become a national holiday until 1965. Since then, the Moscow Victory Day Parade has been held annually.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Victory Day Parade went on a hiatus until 1995 (the 50th anniversary of the capitulation of Germany). That year there were two parades. One took place in Red Square and the other was held in Poklonnaya Hill Victory Park. That year the parade in Red Square became an annual event again.
The Moscow Victory Day Parade is a large military parade featuring the President of the Russian Federation, the Minister of Defense, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces. Preparations of the individual units for the parade begin in November or December of the preceding year and full-blown general combined practice kicks off in late April.
The parade is inspected by the Minister of Defense and led by the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces of the Russian Federation. It includes military bands, a ground column (including military schools, historical units and foreign contingents), a mobile column, and an air fly past column – a total of over 12,000 military personnel, more than 175 vehicles and 80 aircraft. It is attended by international leaders and foreign ambassadors. The country’s largest and most lavish military parade, it attracts hundreds of thousands of spectators.
Photo: Danner Møller Poulsen
