Final preparations for the 81st anniversary of the Victory Day parade are underway in Moscow.

The final preparations for the Victory Day Parade in the Great Patriotic War (WWII) are currently taking place in the center of Moscow. This was announced on Saturday morning, May 9, by Kirill Solodkov, a correspondent for Izvestia.

"There are few people here on Manezhnaya Square, but on the opposite side, on Vasilyevsky Descent, the formation of foot columns has already begun. They are based on officers and cadets of higher military educational institutions of all types and individual branches of the armed forces," he described.

It is specified that participants in the special military operation (SVO) and the great—nephew of junior sergeant of the Red Army, Hero of the Soviet Union Meliton Kantaria, who hoisted the Victory banner over the Reichstag in 1945, Georgy Kantaria, will also be involved in the parade.

At exactly 10 a.m. Moscow time, the formed foot columns will begin moving towards Red Square. In 2026, heavy military equipment will not take part in the parade, but its aerial part promises to be spectacular, the Izvestia correspondent added.

Parade on Red Square in Moscow: live broadcast on the 81st anniversary of the Victory

The rehearsal of the aerial part of the Victory Day Parade took place in the capital on May 6. As part of it, the aerobatic team painted the sky over the city in the colors of the Russian tricolor. It was noted that nine fighters of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation participated in the flight. The day before, Izvestia also published footage of the rehearsal of the servicemen themselves. The soldiers, carrying banners and flags in their hands, marched through the streets in formations.