Victory Day, one of the most important holidays in Russia,
commemorates the 1945 defeat of Nazi Germany. For many Russians,
the victory stands out as the most glorious feat of the nation's
troubled past.
It was achieved at a devastating cost, with an
estimated 27 million dead and much of the western part of the
country ravaged in four years of fierce battles.
The parade, involving several thousand troops dressed in
parade uniforms, is a rite that has remained virtually unchanged
since Soviet times. Goose-stepping soldiers in tight formation
marched across the square and fighter jets roared overhead.
Before the parade, Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov solemnly
greeted the troops as he stood in an open-top Soviet-era ZIL
limousine that drove through the square.
The war's large role in the national psyche has frequently
been seen in Russia's denunciation of any moves it regards as
disrespectful to the country's sacrifices in the fighting.
Estonia, like its Baltic neighbours Latvia and Lithuania,
acknowledges the Red Army's driving out of the Nazis, but also
portrays the army as occupiers who helped keep it under Soviet
control for the next half-century.
Mr. Putin, speaking from a podium in front of Lenin's
Mausoleum, hailed Victory Day as "the holiday of huge moral
importance and unifying power."
"Russia will always honour the memory of the great victory,
of heroic feats of our fathers and grandfathers," Mr. Putin
said. "Like them, we will selflessly defend the interests of our
motherland."
Parades and celebrations were also held in other cities
across Russia. Many other ex-Soviet nations also celebrated it.
Mr. Putin said in his speech that the holiday "unites us with
our close neighbours."
He also honoured Western allies' contribution to the Second
World War victory. "We are paying homage today to the nations of
the anti-Hitler coalition. We won't forget their contribution to
the defeat of the Nazis," Mr. Putin said.
Most Russians observe Victory Day with visits to the graves
of relatives and family dinners as nationwide television
stations run interviews with veterans and Soviet-era war movies.
In a rare public statement of dissent on a patriotic holiday,
long-time human rights activist Yelena Bonner called on Russians
to acknowledge that the victory did not result in liberation for
many countries, including the Baltic nations.
"We didn't liberate anyone, we weren't even able to liberate
ourselves, although for four difficult years of war we hoped for
it," she wrote in an e-mailed statement.
Parades and festivities were held in other Russian cities,
and many other former Soviet nations also celebrated it.
Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko, whose father was a Red
Army soldier, appealed to veterans and Ukrainian partisans who
fought the Soviets to forgive each other and recognize the
contribution both sides made to their homeland.
"The time has come to say to each other sincerely and like
brothers: everyone who fought for Ukraine is worthy of perpetual
respect and gratitude," Mr. Yushchenko told veterans.
Mr. Yushchenko's message of unity is sensitive because the
partisans were considered traitors during the Soviet era. Many
initially sought support from the Nazis in their struggle for
independence.
In northwestern Moscow, unidentified vandals late Tuesday
broke a memorial stone at a cemetery for Cossack officers who
confronted the Bolsheviks after the 1917 revolution and then
fought the Red Army alongside the Nazis in Second World War
before being captured and executed by the Soviet authorities,
police said. A criminal investigation was launched.