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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Oliver Browning

Watch as Russia stages annual WWII Victory Day parade on Moscow’s Red Square

REUTERS

Watch as Russia stages its annual Victory Day parade on Moscow’s Red Square, marking victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

President Vladimir Putin made a speech on Tuesday (9 May) amid tight security following a series of drone attacks, including on the Kremlin citadel itself, that Moscow has blamed on Kyiv.

One of the most important public holidays in Russia, Victory Day commemorates the huge sacrifices made by the Soviet Union during WWII, in which around 27 million citizens perished.

This anniversary is even more emotionally charged as Russia mourns thousands of soldiers killed in the nearly 15-month war in Ukraine, which shows no sign of ending.

Mr Putin has repeatedly likened the war - which he casts as a battle against “Nazi”-inspired nationalists - to the challenge the Soviet Union faced when Hitler invaded in 1941.

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