20,000 soldiers march in step as Russia honours its world war heroes

Published on Monday 9 May 2011 16:58

TENS of thousands of soldiers marched in lockstep across Red Square yesterday in Russia's annual Victory Day display of military might, while president Dmitry Medvedev said the country was committed to peace and global stability.

The parade, marking the surrender of Nazi Germany in the Second World War, is the centrepiece of Russia's most solemn secular holiday, both commemorating the Soviet Union's enormous sacrifices in the war and asserting the potency of its modern military.

The 20,000 troops who strode in precision formation through the vast square outside the Kremlin were followed by more than 100 pieces of mobile military hardware, from armoured personnel carriers to intercontinental ballistic missile launchers.

It concluded with a squadron of helicopters carrying flags over the square, but, unusually, did not include warplanes.

Mr Medvedev addressed the crowd, which included many war veterans festooned with medals and ribbons. "Today, Russia firmly upholds the principles of peaceful co-operation, consistently advocates for a security system and contributes to the overall effort to maintain global stability in the world," he said in the speech from a tribune in front of the Lenin Mausoleum.