Military Parade: 80th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War

A military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) took place at the Red Square in Moscow on Friday.

Chairman of the State Administration Council Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing attended the commemorative event, together with the world leaders. On his arrival at the venue, Russian President Vladimir Putin extended a warm welcome, and proceeded to the dais.

The ceremony commenced at 10:00 a.m. local time with the sounding of the alarm from the Clock Tower of the Kremlin Palace. This was followed by saluting the national flag of Russia and the commemorative flag for Victory Day. Russian Minister of Defence Mr. Andrei Ramovich Belousov then received the salute and inspected the military columns.

Then, the Minister gave commemorative speech, followed by a minute of silence as a remembrance of the fallen heroes during the Great Patriotic War.

The military column led by the Commander-in-Chief of Russian Ground Forces marched-past the Supreme Commander-in-Chief followed by the Armored Units, Artillery, Air Defense Force, Strategic Missile Forces, and other Mechanized Forces while the Air Force flew in formation.

The Military Band performed the Victory Day commemorative song as they departed the parade ground. After the ceremony, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of Russia Mr. Vladimir Putin greeted the military columns of Russia and other participating countries.

Afterwards, Prime Minister Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, together with the world leaders, proceeded to the Tomb of Unknown Soldiers, waving to the attendees of the Victory Day Military Parade. They then laid wreaths at the tomb.

During World War II in 1941, the Soviet Union entered the war known as the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945) in response to the invasion by fascist Nazi Germany. On the morning of May 9, 1945, the German Instrument of Surrender was signed in Berlin of Germany, officially marking the end of World War II.

At around 2:00 a.m. on that day, the people of the Soviet Union learned of Nazi Germany's defeat. That evening, Soviet citizens gathered in Moscow’s Red Square, where they celebrated by singing songs, playing musical instruments, dancing, launching fireworks, and firing thousands of artillery guns into the sky in honor of the victory. This joyous celebration marked the Victory Day, and the Soviet Union declared May 9 a national public holiday in commemoration of its triumph over fascist Nazi.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, starting from the 60th Victory Day Anniversary in 2005, May 9 Victory Day has become one of the most widely celebrated public holidays in the Russian Federation. It is commemorated with grand military parades as a tribute to the victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945.

These military parades often feature participation from foreign military contingents. This year, marking the 80th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War victory, military personnel from Myanmar also joined the parade for the first time, marching alongside military units from other nations.