Russians celebrate Victory Day

Thousands of people have taken part in Victory Day commemorations in the Russian capital. The massive annual parade in Red Square marks the Second World War defeat of Nazi Germany. It is a day of enormous significance as more than
20-million Soviets died during what is widely known in Russia as the “Great Patriotic War.”

President Vladimir Putin said it was an occasion for all Russians to take pride in the country’s military past and present. “I congratulate you on this Great Victory Day – this holiday has great moral significance, it will unite our forces and remain forever in the hearts of all Russians,” he said. The Red Army’s victory over Hitler is almost something sacred in Russia which explains the fury Moscow felt over Estonia’s recent moving of a war monument in Tallinn.

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