Victory Parade In Red Square

This day is the day of our national pride and our gratitude to our veterans.

The parade dedicated to the 57th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War (World War II) has started in Red Square from trooping the Red Banner of Victory. The sacred colours was trooped by the banner team commanded by Captain Vasily Gorbachyov, a third-generation officer. His father who fought at the war fronts all five years of War, marched here ten times. The Colonel-General Ivan Yefremov, the Commander of the Moscow military district, commanded the parade. Sergei Ivanov, the Russia's first civilian Defence Minister, reviewed the troops. The Minister and the parade's Commander moved along the formation of the Moscow garrison in a car and congratulated the servicemen on the 57th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Russian President Vladimir Putin, cabinet ministers, Russian legislators, World War II veterans and foreign ambassadors watched the ceremony from the central tribune. President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin congratulated participants in the military parade in Red Square on Victory Day. The Russian leader praised all those who "selflessly fought for this Victory, fought on the fields of battle and in the rear, fought for the Motherland, for Freedom and Independence of other nations." "We paid an awful price for the Great Victory. We paid in life of our fathers and grand-fathers. They suffered much, but stopped the total annihilation of people. They saved our Fatherland, they saved the world from fear and gave it peaceful future," Vladimir Putin said. The President stated that the Russian Armed Forces are the keepers of the Victory spirit. This spirit is a historical support of Russian warriors, their backbone and moral basis. "This day is the day of our national pride and our gratitude to our veterans. The dignity and unity of victors' generation is the most precious thing we, their sons and grand-sons, have inherited," the President stressed. According to him, time necessitates deeds of our own. "Our Motherland united to get over hard times. The peaceful life of the present day requires that we should be united again. This is what will make the future of Russia bright. This is what will make us free and prosperous," the Russian leader was quoted as saying. The troops greeted the President's address with a three-time "hurrah." The hymn of the Russian Federation marked the beginning of the parade. Soldiers with guideons to mark the scheme of troops' march were the first to move. A Company of young drummers, cadets of Moscow Military Music College, traditionally followed them. The banner team moved out on to the Square after the drums carrying the State Flag of the Russian Federation, the Banner of Victory and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Combat Colours of the Great Patriotic War. Further on, the company of Guards of Honour of all Russian armed services marched along the Square. Cadets of the country's most prestigious military educational institution - the All-Arms Academy of the Russian Armed Forces followed it. This Academy is the successor of the Russian Empyreal Military Academy of the General Staff, which was founded in 1832. Such prominent commanders as Zhukov, Bagramyan, Govorov, Konev, marshals of the World War II, were the Academy's alumni. Visitors of Red Square then saw cadets of the Russian Academy of the Strategic Missile Forces named after Peter the Great. They were followed by cadets of the Military University of the Russian Defence Ministry and the Military Engineer University. General Dmitry Karbyshev who died when tortured by Nazis for the refusal to cooperate, was a graduate of this military educational institution. The Russian Military University of Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection made a considerable contribution to the Victory. The University experts designed new means of personal and collective protection, ignition and explosive agents, dozens of new medicines. Today, the University alumni not only protect Russian troops from weapons of mass destruction, but also deal with the aftermath of man-caused disasters and ensure the environmental security of the Russian Federation. Later on, cadets of the Air Force Academy of the Red Banner marched along Red Square. This institution is now named after the Earth's first cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin who graduated from the Air Force Academy named after Zhukovsky. Since 1998, this Academy has been called the Military Air Technical University. It is responsible for the training of both military and civilian personnel. It was the first time cadets of the Civilian Protection Academy of the Russian Emergencies Ministry took part in the Victory parade. The Academy was established in 1992 and is now the country's largest centre which develops ways to protect the population and territories in emergencies. The Academy experts dealt with the aftermath of the 1999 bombing in Moscow, participated in the restoration of the flooded city of Lensk, in humanitarian operations in Chechnya and Afghanistan: this list is far from being full. The famous 331st Guard Air Borne Regiment marched in the parade formation along Red Square. The regiment servicemen took part in the liberation of Hungary, Austria and Czechoslovakia. Later on, its elements were fulfilling peacekeeping missions under the UN aegis in Yugoslavia and engaged bandits in Dagestan and Chechnya. Border guards who were the first to stand the devastating offensive of Nazi forces followed the paratroopers. A marine regiment of the Black Sea Fleet also took part in the parade. Marine units were fighting on the outskirts of Odessa, Sebastopol, Novorossiisk and in many large-scale offensives. A parade detachment represented the three-time decorated Independent Operation Division of the Russian Interior Force. This famous large unit was established in 1924. During the 1945 Victory parade, these were servicemen of this division who were throwing flags and colours of the defeated Germany to the Kremlin Wall. Russia's youngest soldiers, cadets of the Suvorov Military College, traditionally take part in the Victory parade. Cadets of Moscow Red Banner Military Institute decorated with the Lenin and October Revolution orders also marched in Red Square. Twenty-four thousand alumni of this institute fought on fields of battle of World War II. Its cadets were defending Moscow in 1941 when Nazi stood at the city gates. Cadets of military higher educational institutions also took part in the parade. The parade dedicated to the 57th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War was held with the participation of 5,186 Russian servicemen. © &to=http://www.rian.ru' target=_blank>RIAN

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