Russia marks Victory Day, the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, in quiet ceremony without usual military parade and pomp
Russian President Vladimir Putin watchs a military flyover of Red Square by 75 warplanes and helicopters marking the 75th anniversary of the Nazi defeat in World War II in Moscow, Russia on May 9, 2020.
Putin on Saturday laid flowers at the tomb of the unknown soldier just outside the Kremlin walls and gave a short address honouring the valour and suffering of the Soviet army during the war. The ceremony was the first public appearance in about a month for Putin, who has worked remotely as the virus took hold.
The sharply reduced observances this year left a hole in Russia's civic and emotional calendar. The war, in which the Soviet Union lost an estimated 26 million people including 8.5 million soldiers, has become a fundamental piece of Russian national identity. An online substitute for the processions was taking place Saturday and many people are expected to display relatives' photos from their balconies and windows in the evening.A full military parade of some 3,000 soldiers was held Saturday in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, which has not imposed restrictions to block the virus' spread despite sharply rising infection figures. Tens of thousands of spectators, few of them wearing masks, watched the event.
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