Victory Day Parades

Victory parades as a holiday tradition

As Victory Day is the principal military holiday of Russia and of almost all member the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, the celebrations in Moscow and other capital cities serve as national events to mark the important holiday, which commemorates the anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Allied Powers in 1945. The annual or semiannual parades mark the Allied victory in World War II on the Eastern Front, on the same day as the signing of the German act of capitulation to the victorious Allies in Berlin, at midnight of May 9, 1945 (Soviet time), officially concluding the Second World War in Europe and northern parts of Africa.

During the entire history of the Soviet Union, only a total of four parades ever took place in Moscow and throughout the entire Soviet Union. In December 1947, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet under Josef Stalin, decreed that May 9th (Victory Day) would become a working day, effectively making the celebrations cancelled and ceased completely.

However, on April 26, 1965, nearly twenty years after the first parade, under Leonid Brezhnev, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet reversed the actions made in 1947, thus making May 9 a non-working holiday, this would be the first time Victory Day was made as an actual holiday. Further parades would be held in 1985 and 1990.

Until 1989 celebrations of Victory Day were held in most Warsaw Pact countries (save for East Germany, whose celebrations fell on 8 May except in 1975, when it was marked on 9 May). Of all the countries that observed it, only Czechoslovakia held celebration parades every 5 years, also in honor of the successful Prague Uprising that ended on that day in 1945. In addition, Poland and Yugoslavia (which was outside the Iron Curtain) also held occasional parades, with the former staging a massive parade in 1985 to mark the ruby jubilee anniversary and the latter following the practice of Czechoslovakia of parades every 5th anniversary beginning with the 20th anniversary in 1965.

In 2020, many of the traditional parades were cancelled, with the only ones being held in Belarus and Turkmenistan. The main parade in Russia, as well as parades in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan were cancelled as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to these massive cancellations, World Health Organization regional director for Europe Hans Kluge referred to these cancellations as "a brave decision", highlighting their holiday significance.

Purpose

According to Russian anthropologist Sergey Ushakin, modern victory parades are intended to demonstrate the direct and immediate connection of the present with the past and to materialize the connection between generations. General Oleg Salyukov, who has commanded the parade for close to a decade, described them in an interview with TASS as a "celebration for people, not show of militarism", referring to accusations of the parade being used as show of Russian military might.

Parades in the Russian Federation

Today, Russia, as the largest of the countries of the former Soviet Union, continues the practice of parades held in honor of the victory won in the Great Patriotic War – the Eastern Front of the Second World War as called by the Soviet Union. The first of these parades was held in 1995 (5 years after the fall of the Soviet Union) under the auspices of President Boris Yeltsin, who held the parade to commemorate the golden jubilee of the Soviet and allied victory in the war. The parade was the only one to date that had to be divided into two parts (a full military parade on Poklonnaya Hill and a veterans ceremony on Red Square).

Red Square, Moscow

The most important parade of those being held on May 9 is the one held on Moscow's Red Square, with the President of Russia as the guest of honor and keynote speaker in virtue of his constitutional mandate as Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces. On the morning of the day, an estimated 14,000 military personnel, including a regiment of female cadets and youth cadets, assemble by battalions on the square together with the Massed Bands of around 1,100 bandsmen under the direction of the Senior Director of Music of the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Russia (an appointment bestowed to either a colonel or a general rank officer), together with more than 210 vehicles and 3,800 vehicle crews assembled on Tverskaya Street just north of the Manezhnaya Square, Moscow, during the major parades a battalion or company of historical Red Army vehicles, estimated at around 36 vehicles and composed of just the T-34, GAZ-67 and the SU-100 plus the optional BM-13N (or at around an estimated 480 when counting other vehicles of the war which would take part just like in the parades of 1985 and 1990) assemble on the street as well with modern military hardware of the Armed Forces and the National Guard (and optionally by the other uniformed organizations). Each of the contingents, since 1996, carry historical military colors of the 1942 (Red Army, Soviet Air Force, People's Militia) and 1932–1944 (Navy) patterns at the head of their formations honoring the millions of men and women who served in the ranks of the military and law enforcement services of the former Soviet Union during the long period of the Eastern Front of the Second World War, and the millions among them who were either killed or were missing in action.

The celebrations begin at 9:55 am Moscow Standard Time with the arrival of the President and the Prime Minister of Russia to a special grandstand in front of Lenin's Mausoleum, where six of the past parades were reviewed by national leaders. They greet the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, service commanders, deputy ministers in the Ministry of Defence and commanders of the support units within the Armed Forces, together with veterans, veterans' families and representatives of the Suvorov and Nakhimov Schools assembled. To the left and right of the grandstand are the stands wherein veterans, veterans' families, and descendants and families of personnel killed in action are gathered. In between the grandstand to the south of the stands are two platoons of armed linemen and markers from the 154th Preobrazhensky Independent Commandant's Regiment in the Imperial-styled military uniforms and some unarmed half-companies of the Kremlin Regiment, both of which would be later taking post to mark the distance of the troops marching past and to line the square's western side facing the Kremlin together with extra drum majors from the Band Service, which are there to coordinate the march past to be timed in with the music of the bands since the parade of 1995.

Russian parades held outside Moscow

As per tradition, 27 other Russian major cities (Sevastopol and Kerch in the disputed Crimea included) are expected to hold commemorative parades on that day (some of them including flypasts and fleet reviews during jubilee years), and joint civil-military parades are hosted by 50 other towns and cities nationwide. Many of these parades are modeled primarily on the Moscow parade.

The following plazas in cities outside of Moscow hold military parades:

Like Moscow, regional parades in recent years have included foreign troops in their parades. On the 65th anniversary in 2010, French troops took part in a parade in Murmansk while American sailors paraded in Vladivostok. This occurred once again in 2013 in Vladivostok during which American Pacific Fleet troops and sailors from the French Navy took part in the 68th anniversary parade, greeting the parade inspector in their native languages before sounding a Russian-style threefold "Ura!" Foreign cadet contingents also take part in the parade in St. Petersburg and Omsk. In 2020, it was confirmed that foreign servicemen from the armed forces of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will take part in the parade in Yekaterinburg, as well an 80-man contingent from Armenia in Rostov-on-Don, plans which were later scrapped. In Ulan-Ude in 2021, a contingent of the Mongolian Armed Forces took part in the parade for the first time.

Palace Square, St. Petersburg

The first Victory parade in the city was the Parade of Guards (Russian: Парад гвардейских войск) on 8 July 1945 was held in then Leningrad in the presence of at least half a million Leningraders. The parade consisted of servicemen from guards units of the Leningrad Front, all of which marched on Nevsky Prospect. On 9 May 1965, the first parade celebration of the 20th anniversary of the victory took place on the Palace Square grounds.

Ship Embankment, Vladivostok

Victory Parades in Vladivostok first began in 1965. Despite this it is generally considered that the first parade in honor of the victory in Vladivostok on Svetlanskaya Street took place in 1918 dedicated to the First World War, attended by British, American and French troops. Svetlanskaya later went on to host ten victory parades, held infrequently. The traditional part of parade was reduced to the construction of areas of the central square, which resulted in parades, such as one in 2009, being held under the monument to the Red Army soldier. In 2011, the victory parade in Vladivostok moved from the central square to Ship Embankment, which was a controversial move that caused debate. Since 2012, official Victory Parades have been held annually on the street.

Russian parades outside the country

The following bases in foreign countries hold military parades:

During the annual parade at Khmeimim Air Base in Syria, a unit from the Syrian Arab Armed Forces usually participates in the parade.

Incidents

In 2004, during a victory parade in the Chechen city of Grozny, a bomb exploded, killing 10 people including the Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov.

History of parades in different countries

Parades held in recognized nations

Armenia

Annual victory day parades in Armenia are held in Gyumri on the central square of the city, being presided by the Commander-in-Chief of the United Group of Forces and taking place with the participation of troops from the Russian 102nd Military Base, the Leninakan Border Detachment of the Federal Security Service of Russia, and military personnel of the Armed Forces of Armenia. The first one took place in 2014, after having not been held since 1993. Officials in attendance are the Governor of the Shirak Region, the Mayor of Gyumri, and the Bishop of the Diocese of Shirak. In 2015, pilots of the Russian airbase in Armenia participated in a flypast over Gyrumi and Yerevan for the first time in honor of the platinum jubilee. Because the 2020 celebrations in honor of the holiday and Shushi Liberation Day were cancelled by order of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a fly past of the Armenian Air Force was held at the Mother Armenia monument.

Belarus

Victory parades in Belarus have dated back to Soviet parades in the former Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic. They are usually held on jubilee years (e.g. 50th anniversary, 65th anniversary).

Czechoslovakia

During the period of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, regular victory day parades were held by the Czechoslovak People's Army (ČSLA) in Letná. The first parade took place in 1951 and have since been held every five years on 9 May up until 1990. The parade also marked the Prague uprising. The last of these parades took place in 1985. Kde domov můj and Nad Tatrou sa blýska (the Czechoslovak national anthem) was performed by the massed bands on parade before being followed by the State Anthem of the Soviet Union. Parades were also held in Bratislava and Plzeň as well.

Israel

Israel has commemorated Victory Day since it became a national holiday in 2017. As a result of the mass immigration of many Red Army veterans, Israel now hosts the largest and most extensive Victory Day celebrations outside the former Soviet space. The traditions and customs of Victory Day are the same as in Russia, with marches of Immortal Regiments held in cities with large populations of Red Army veterans and their descendants, particularly in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa. It does not just honor all who served in the European and Mediterranean Theaters, but also particularly honors the Jewish partisans and soldiers who served in the armed forces and paramilitary formations, as well as of the civil uniformed security forces, of the Allies, whose experience would help in the formation of the current day Israel Defense Forces.

Parades held in partly recognized states

Republic of Abkhazia

Victory parades have been held in Abkhazia annually since 2009. This should not be confused with the Victory parade on 30 September in Sukhumi on Independence Day.

Republic of South Ossetia

Like its neighbor Abkhazia, South Ossetia has held annual Victory Day Parades in the capital of Tskhinvali since 2009. All victory parades take place on Theatre Square and involve troops of the Armed Forces of South Ossetia.

In 2020, for the first time, the parade was held on 24 June in line with the Moscow parade, with President Anatoly Bibilov not being attendance due to commitments in Russia, with the parade being presided instead by Prime Minister Erik Pukhayev. During the parade, an equestrian team from the Border Administration of the Russian Federal Security Service took part in the parade for the first time in history, with the equestrian ranks being led by an officer on a stallion called Brilliant, a direct descendant of Idol (one of two stallions used in the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945), according to the local authorities. The parade also saw the introduction of female soldiers.

Artsakh Republic

The Victory Day (and Shushi Liberation Day) Parade is held on Renaissance Square in Stepanakert. It is only held on the jubilee anniversaries of the capture of Shusha and the Siege of Stepanakert, both of which ended on Victory Day in 1992. The first parade in honor of the holiday was held in 1995 to celebrate the 3rd anniversary since liberation and the golden jubilee (50th anniversary) of the end of the Second World War. Subsequent parades were held in 1997, 2007, 2012 and 2017.

Donetsk People's Republic

To symbolize its Russian heritage, the authorities in the breakaway Donetsk People's Republic held its first parade in 2015. The inaugural parade was held at Artem Street on Lenin Square and was criticized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe for violating the Minsk Protocol. It includes troops from the United Armed Forces of Novorossiya.

Parades held in unrecognized states

Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic

Victory Day parades in the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic are held on Suvorov Square in Tiraspol. It is the first of two parades to be held every year, being held by the Armed Forces of Transnistria in conjunction with the Operational Group of Russian Forces. In addition to parades on jubilee years (2005, 2010 and 2015), it is also held annually. The parade was cancelled for the first time in 2020 and rescheduled to Republic Day on 2 September, marking the celebrations of the republic's pearl jubilee year.

Expanded summary of the parades within current and former countries

Victors Avenue, Minsk

The parade commander (the Deputy Defense Minister bearing the rank of Major General) arrives on Victors Avenue to receive the report from the commander of the first parade formation (usually the Military Academy of Belarus). The President of Belarus then arrives at the grandstand in front of the Minsk Hero City Obelisk to await the start of the parade. The parade commander gives the order to begin the review of the Minsk Garrison by the Defence Minister of Belarus, the parade presenting arms at that juncture and the massed bands of the Minsk Garrison under the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus beginning to play inspection music under the baton of the Senior Director of Music.

The Defense Minister, having now been duly notified, then reviews the parading troops along the avenue in his vehicle, stopping a few times to send holiday greetings to a 4,000 strong ground column formation from the armed forces and other uniformed organizations while the massed bands play inspection music. As the defense minister concludes the inspection of the troops, he reports to the president on the readiness of the parade. A minute of silence then takes place, followed by a performance of the National Anthem of Belarus (My Belarusy) by the massed bands. The president then delivers an address to the nation and congratulates the citizens on the holiday. As the president concludes the address, following a fanfare by the bands the parade commander then gives the order for the Minsk Garrison to get into their parade formations, and for the troops of the Honour Guard Company to take their post as linemen to mark the distance of the troops marching past the grandstand. The first unit to march, beating the snare drums, are the drummers of the Minsk Suvorov Military School, followed by cadets of special military high schools of the armed forces and public security organizations, and a colour guard consisting of the flag party (Flag of Belarus, Flag of the USSR, and Banner of Victory) the standards of the fronts which were involved in the 1944 Minsk Offensive, followed by historical companies, honoring both the regular Red Army and the Soviet Air Force that liberated the republic and the partisan movement that grew during the Nazi occupation. They consists of cadets of the Military Academy of Belarus dressed in military uniforms of the historical period of the war and equipped Mosin rifles. This is followed by the rest of the parade ground column in the following arrangement as they march past the presidential grandstand:

Military Academy of Belarus

Belarusian National Technical University

Khreshchatyk Street, Kyiv

In the years wherein the Victory Day over Nazism in World War II (from 2015 until 2023) parade was held in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, the parade commander - a lieutenant general holding the appointment of Commanding General, Operational Command North or general holding the billet of Commander of the Ground Forces, following the report of the commandant, Ivan Chernyakhovsky National Defense University of Ukraine (usually a major general), inspects the formations assembled on Khreshchatyk Street, first the Kyiv Presidential Honor Guard Battalion (Presidential Brigade), the parade tri-service colour guard and then the remainder of the parade's ground and mobile columns.

At 10am, following the playing of a recording of clock chimes, and as the massed bands of the Military Music Department of the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces stationed at Independence Square played a fanfare, the President, who serves as supreme commander in chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, arrives. He meets with members of the National Security and Defense Council, the Supreme Commander in Chief's Staff, representatives of the Armed Forces General Staff and the Ministries of Defense and Internal Affairs, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada and its vice chairmen, the secretary general, sergeant at arms, faction leaders and floor leaders, and the living veterans of the war who are assembled on the grandstand near the Independence Monument. Also gathered there is the diplomatic corps, military attaches, family members of war victims and representatives of veterans organizations, government agencies, state-owned companies and the private sector.

The arrival is followed by the march in of No.1 Guard of Honor Company of the Presidential Honor Guard Battalion, which serves as the parade colour company carrying the Flag of Ukraine and the Victory Banner. As the parade presented arms, the battalion marches past the authorities and takes its place of honor in the flag pole near the Independence Monument for the flag raising ceremony after the company's color section takes post there, in which the National anthem of Ukraine is played either acapella or by the bands with choral accompaniment as a 21-gun salute is fired.

At the end of the flag raising, the parade orders arms and a moment of silence is observed in honor of all the victims of the Second World War in Ukraine and the Ukrainian heroes of that conflict.

Victory Park, Dushanbe

According to tradition, a wreath-laying ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier takes place at Victory Park.

Full order of the parade:

Military Brass Band of the Commandant Regiment of the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan

Presidential National Guard

Units of the Commandant Regiment of the Ministry of Defense

Military Institute of the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan

Mastibek Tashmukhamedov Military Lyceum of the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan

Russian 201st Military Base

Honor Guard Company of the Ministry of Defense of Tajikistan

Letná Plain, Prague

It was on the large expanse of Prague's Letná Plain (Letenská pláň), a large employ field that every 5 years on 9 May from 1951 to 1985 (formerly yearly until the 1960s) witnessed parades of the Czechoslovak People's Army in the federal capital of Czechoslovakia following a mix of the Soviet style and its own traditions in its grounds, celebrating both the victory in Europe and the conclusion of the successful Prague Uprising. A televised event since the 1950s, the President of Czechoslovakia, in his capacity as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (unless held by a separate person) and Supreme Commander in Chief of the People's Army, was the chief guest of honor of the parade. On the morning of the day, an estimated 9,000 military personnel, assembled by battalions on the square together with the Prague Garrison Massed Bands of around 400-800 bandsmen under the direction of the Senior Director of Music (formerly stationed in different parts of the grounds in the 1950s) were present, with the stands in Milada Horaková street filled up with together with veterans, veterans' families and the general public. At the main grandstand attached to Letná Stadium were members of the Party Central Committee, the Cabinet, the Federal Assembly leadership and the chairmen of its two chambers, senior officers of the Ministry of National Defence and the General Staff, representatives of Soviet Armed Forces formations based in the republic and the diplomatic corps.

The celebrations began at 10 am with the playing of the Presidential Fanfare, based on the Overture of the opera Libuše, signalling the arrival of the president and if present, the Party General Secretary, with the Minister of National Defence, a billet of a General of the Army, informing the President of the presence of the parade. Later on, with the massed bands playing the Uvitaci Pochod by Václav Dobiáš, the parade commander, a general officer with either Lieutenant General or Colonel General rank, with the parade now in the present arms position as ordered, after the bands stop playing, informed the Minister of National Defence on his parade car after that the parade has now been formed up for inspection. Following the report, the parade inspector then reviewed the mobile column first and then the assembled formations, including representatives of the People's Militias and the formations of the Ministry of the Interior, including the Border Guard and the National Security Corps, stopping at each unit to greet the assembled formations on the holiday.

Following the keynote address a 21-gun salute resounded over the grounds as the massed bands played both Kde domov můj and State Anthem of the Soviet Union as the entire grandstand stood up in respect of the anthems, with all military and police personnel there saluting and the whole parade presented arms.

Kazakh Eli Square, Astana

The traditional Victory Parade in the capital is held with the march on of the Flag of Kazakhstan and the Banner of Victory, before the President of Kazakhstan receives the report from the Defence Minister of Kazakhstan on the readiness of the parade. The minister and the president will then inspect the forces on parade, who will yell in a traditional greeting to their Supreme Commander-in-Chief. Once both officials arrive at the tribute, the present formally greets the troops before delivering a holiday address. Upon concluding the speech, the massed bands perform Meniŋ Qazaqstanym before the parade commander (the Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces) sounds the orders to begin the parade. The parade is traditionally led by cadets of the Astana Zhas Ulan Republican School. They are then followed by contingents from the three services of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan (Ground Forces, Air Defense Forces and the Naval Forces), the State Security Service, the National Guard, and the Territorial Troops, among other ground and air equipment.