"Russia was and will be an indestructible barrier to Nazism"

On May 9, Red Square hosted, of course, the main event of 2025 — the solemn parade dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Almost three dozen foreign leaders arrived in Russia to take part in this event, and military crews from 13 countries marched side by side with Russian fighters. The descendants of the victorious heroes will always remember the lessons of the Second World War and will not allow history to be distorted, Russian President Vladimir Putin stressed in his speech on May 9. About who flew to the Russian capital to celebrate the Victory anniversary and what kind of equipment appeared on the main square of the country for the first time — in the Izvestia article.

Which of the foreign leaders came to Moscow for Victory Day

On May 9, a military parade took place on Red Square, the central event of the celebrations dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. By this day, the whole of Moscow was decorated with patriotic symbols, many people in military uniforms could be seen on the streets, many proudly carried portraits of hero relatives.

Vladimir Putin has always paid special attention to this date: at meetings with foreign colleagues, he often spoke about the importance of preserving historical memory and personally invited guests to Moscow for the Victory Day Parade.

— We remember the lessons of the Second World War and will never accept the distortion of its events, attempts to justify the executioners and slander the true winners. Our duty is to defend the honor of the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army, the great feat of representatives of different nationalities, who will forever remain Russian soldiers in world history. Russia has been and will continue to be an indestructible barrier to Nazism, Russophobia, and anti—Semitism, and will fight the atrocities committed by the advocates of these aggressive, destructive ideas," the president said during his speech at the parade.

The importance and scale of the event gathered 27 foreign heads of state at the Victory Day Parade. The shared history and the desire to take part in honoring the feat of the Soviet people who liberated the world from Nazism turned out to be more important than the imaginary isolation of Russia. On this day, leaders from Africa, Latin America, Asia, and the former Soviet Union gathered at the presidential rostrum.

Some European leaders, such as Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, had to overcome many obstacles to be on Red Square that day. The Baltic countries banned their flights over their territory, and the political teams were forced to look for other routes. Upon arrival in the Russian capital, Alexander Vucic recorded a video message directly from Red Square: he stated that he was indifferent to the reaction of other states to his visit to Russia.

During a festive reception in the Kremlin on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Victory, Vladimir Putin thanked his foreign colleagues for coming to Moscow. In the Faceted Chamber, the heads of state raised a toast to the illustrious generation of winners, for the triumph of truth and justice, and for the prosperity of countries and peoples. As previously estimated by Izvestia, almost half of the world's population lives in the countries whose leaders have arrived in Russia these days.

— Admittedly, Moscow has assumed a great responsibility towards foreign guests and its own population. To do everything without incident against the background of a difficult time is not just a matter of principle, but also a mission to justify the trust placed in Russia," said Tigran Meloyan, an analyst at the HSE Center for Mediterranean Studies.

How was the safety of the participants ensured at the parade

Frankly speaking, on this day, journalists and guests were waiting for the establishment of some kind of enhanced security regime against the background of recent statements by the Ukrainian authorities.: On the eve of the anniversary, Zelensky openly stated that he "does not guarantee security" to representatives of other countries who plan to visit Moscow on Victory Day. Moreover, Kiev had previously rejected the Russian leader's initiative for a truce from May 8 to 00:00 Moscow time on May 11. On Victory Day, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that during the period of the declared cessation of hostilities, Ukraine violated it 5,026 times, and also made four attempts to break through the border of the Russian Federation in the Kursk and Belgorod regions.

However, no actions of the enemy could affect the atmosphere of the celebration - it was so bright and festive. To everyone who watched the parade on Red Square on May 9, the organizers prepared gifts — backpacks with souvenirs: army binoculars, a cap, the board game "Storming Berlin", Tvardovsky's book "Vasily Terkin" and a copy of the newspaper issue dated May 9, 1945 with a message about the surrender of Germany, which everyone read with interest and We discussed it while waiting for the celebration.

Speaking before the start of the parade, Vladimir Putin said: Russia will always preserve the memory of those triumphant historical events.

— As the heirs of the winners, we celebrate May 9 as our native holiday, as the most important for the country, for all the people, for every family, for each of us. Our fathers, grandfathers and great—grandfathers saved the Fatherland," he stressed.

It was Vladimir Putin, as the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, who opened the parade. To his right was Chinese President Xi Jinping. The main guests of this celebration, the war veterans, were also accommodated here on the central podium. For example, a participant in the defense of Moscow, artillery scout Evgeny Znamensky and the liberator of Auschwitz Ivan Martynushkin. Both participated in the very first Victory Day Parade, on June 24, 1945.

Before the start of the march, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping talked with Evgeny Znamensky. The veteran's chest is covered with awards: the Order of the Patriotic War II degree, medals "For Bravery", "For the Defense of Moscow", "For the liberation of Warsaw", "For the capture of Berlin", "For the victory over Germany". In 1945, he liberated Berlin and was one of those who left an inscription on the Reichstag building. He wrote: "Znamensky, Serpukhov."

Now, more than 11.5 thousand soldiers of the Russian army marched along the dark gray paving stones of Red Square, along which then, 80 years ago, the soldiers who won the terrible war marched, under the same banners as their victorious ancestors. Parade crews from 13 other countries marched side by side with them. The column of foreign military personnel began with representatives of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, followed by soldiers from almost all CIS countries. Military personnel from Vietnam, Egypt, China, Laos, Mongolia and Myanmar also took part in the parade.

— The Nazis' plans to take over the Soviet Union were shattered by the truly iron unity of the country. The heroism of the people was massive, all the republics bore the common, heavy burden of the war. The contribution of the inhabitants of Central Asia and Transcaucasia was enormous. Trains with everything the front needed were moving smoothly from here. Hospitals were located here and hundreds of thousands of evacuated people found their second home. They shared shelter, bread, and warmth with them. We honor every veteran of the Great Patriotic War and bow our heads before the memory of all those who gave their lives for Victory," Vladimir Putin stressed.

After the Victory Day parade, the head of state and his guests, the leaders of foreign countries, paid tribute to the memory of Soviet soldiers and laid flowers at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin Wall. Since three dozen people are participating in the ceremony, a special wreath was prepared for the laying — as wide as the foot of the memorial, intertwined with scarlet and St. George ribbons.

Under the measured beat of the metronome, the participants of the ceremony, bowing their heads, honored the memory of those who gave their lives for the defense of the Motherland with a minute of silence.

Who marched in the Victory Day Parade in 2025

At exactly 10 a.m., the Russian national flag and the battle flag of the 150th Idritsky Rifle Division were brought to Red Square. It was this flag that was hoisted over the defeated Berlin in 1945 and became one of the symbols of Victory. Oleg Salyukov, Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, who commanded the parade, informed Andrei Belousov, head of the Ministry of Defense, about the readiness. The Minister toured the parade grounds and greeted the participants of the solemn ceremony.

According to tradition, the solemn procession was opened by drummers, pupils of the Moscow Military Music College. Banner groups followed them, accompanied by an honor guard of the 154th separate commandant's Preobrazhensky Regiment. Banner groups marched across the square with the standards of the ten fronts of the final stage of the war and the 45 banners of renowned military units. They were followed by infantrymen with Mosin rifles, pilots, sailors, sappers, scouts, border guards in military uniforms, the parade crew of the Kuban Cossack Army, as well as the Federal Security Service in the form of cavalrymen of the war years.

Young participants of the parade also marched past the stands: pupils of the Moscow and Tver Suvorov Schools, the St. Petersburg Nakhimov College, the Kronstadt Naval Cadet Corps, and the Military Academy. The parade crews of the participants of the special military operation marched under the banners of the combat units. They included 20 Heroes of Russia, 44 Knights of St. George and 54 knights of the Order of Courage.

Then the students of the Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, all of them participants in the special operation, walked through the square. They were followed by cadets from the Military University of the Ministry of Defense, the Academy of Logistics, the Mikhailovsky Military Artillery Academy, and female military personnel.

The ceremonial march included the parade crews of the aerospace forces, Navy, strategic missile forces, airborne troops, FSB border service, engineering troops, as well as radiation, chemical and biological protection troops, railway troops, military police, Ministry of Emergency Situations and Rosgvardiya.

According to tradition, the Kremlin cadets, representatives of the Moscow Higher Combined Arms Command School, completed the walking part of the parade.

The passage of the mechanized column was opened by the legendary T-34 tanks and Su-100 self-propelled artillery units. Behind them are Tiger—M armored vehicles, armored protected special purpose vehicles, and Lens protected ambulances.

For the first time, the BRM-1K combat reconnaissance vehicles were presented on Red Square. They were followed by a BMP-2M column with the Berezhok combat module, followed by the BMP-3, as well as promising Kurganets infantry fighting vehicles, which are currently being tested.

T-72B3M tanks, T-80BVM gas turbine engines, the latest T-90M Proryv and a column of 152 mm Msta-S self-propelled howitzers followed the combat vehicles to the square.

For the first time, the latest 152-mm Hyacinth-K and Malva artillery systems, as well as Tornado-S and Tosochka MLRS systems, were demonstrated at the parade. They were followed by the Iskander-M missile systems.

Also, for the first time, a column of troops of unmanned systems marched through Red Square. Viewers could see such devices as Orlan-10, Orlan-30, Zala, Lancet-51, Lancet-52, Harpy and Geranium. They were followed by a column of S-400 Triumph anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as Airborne troops — BMD-4 and BTR-MDM Rakushka.

The column of the Strategic Missile Forces consisted of Yars missile systems. Advanced wheeled armored personnel carriers on the Boomerang platform with banners of the Armed Forces closed the parade formation.

After passing through the columns of equipment, the Russian Knights and Strizhi aerobatic teams flew over Red Square on Su-30 and MiG-29 fighters, as well as Su-25 attack aircraft, which painted the sky in the colors of the Russian flag.

"Most of the equipment presented has been tested in combat conditions," military expert Viktor Litovkin told Izvestia. — T-72B3M, T-80BVM, T-90M tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, armored vehicles — all of them visited the line of contact. Promising samples that are still being tested are also of interest. The Kurganets infantry fighting vehicle and the Boomerang armored personnel carrier are designed so that they can be replaced with combat modules. The platform remains the same, and the module can be supplied with a 30 mm cannon, a 57 mm cannon, and so on.

Such machines, the expert noted, can be equipped to perform tasks in any region, both in our country and on the planet as a whole.