On Thursday evening, the centre of Moscow was filled with a wide array of military vehicles, which were seen driving towards Red Square for the first-night training of for the traditional Victory Day parade, which will be held on May 9 to mark the 77th anniversary of the official capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union. Hundreds of people reportedly took to the streets to observe the hardware.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the foot column will comprise 33 parade units numbering over 10,000 personnel. The mechanized column will feature 131 weapon systems.

The foot parade units will include officers, sergeants and soldiers of military units and formations of the Western Military District, cadets of military educational institutions, Suvorov infantry and Nakhimov naval military schools and cadet corps, Young Army Movement members, representatives of various ministries and agencies, the MoD specified.

The first evening rehearsal of the Victory Day parade will begin at 22:00 Moscow time (1900 GMT). The second-night rehearsal of the military parade will take place on Red Square on May 4 and a final rehearsal on May 7, as scheduled.