Moscow to hold Victory Day parade in June, says Putin
VLADIMIR PUTIN said yesterday that Russia would hold its postponed military parade to celebrate victory over Nazi Germany in late June now that it had “passed the peak” of Covid-19 infections.
Victory Day is Russia’s most important public holiday as families gather to commemorate the enormous suffering endured by millions of people during the Second World War.
The military parade, which in previous years has brought together more than 10,000 soldiers from around the country, is held in Red Square on May 9 every year.
It was scrapped this month because of the coronavirus lockdown.
The Russian president yesterday asked the military to start training for a rescheduled parade to be held on June 24 – the date of the original parade of returning Soviet troops in 1945.
Mr Putin said during a conference call with Sergey Shoigu, his defence minister, that it was possible to stage the parade now that Russia had “passed the peak” of Covid-19 infections.
Scientists and doctors have cast doubt on Russia’s reported coronavirus death rates as well as the statistics coming out from several regions in the Russian Federation.
While the number of new infections has been steadily declining in Moscow, according to official data, the numbers in the rest of Russia had been stable in recent days before hitting a record high on Monday.
In recent years the Kremlin has turned Victory Day, once primarily an occasion to mourn the dead and commemorate the war effort, into a showcase of Russian military might and geopolitical influence.
This year’s parade marks 75 years since the defeat of the Nazis and the Kremlin had hoped to host international dignitaries including Emmanuel Macron, the French president, and China’s Xi Jinping at the parade.
Mr Putin did not mention yesterday whether he was expecting any foreign guests to attend the rescheduled celebrations next month.
10,000 The number of soldiers from across Russia who normally take part in the annual event to mark victory over Nazi Germany