Victory Parade: Putin honours the memory of fallen war heroes

The military parade began on Moscow's Red Square in honor of the 77th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

The parade started with the trooping of the colour and the Banner of Victory to the song "The Holy War".

The Commander-in-Chief of the Ground Forces, General of the Army Oleg Salyukov, and the Minister of Defense, General of the Army Sergei Shoygu, hosted the Victory Parade.

Eleven thousand military personnel took part in the parade. The foot column was formed from 33 ceremonial regiments.

It is worthy of note that participants of the special operation in the Donbass also took part in the parade — this became a peculiar feature of this year's parade.

Shortly before the parade, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that the aviation part of the Victory Parade was canceled due to bad weather conditions. The aviation part of the parade was canceled in St. Petersburg as well for the same reason.

President Putin traditionally spoke before the parade.

President Vladimir Putin, speaking at the Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow, called for a need to prevent the outbreak of a global war and its consequences.

“Our duty is to keep the memory of those who crushed Nazism, who bequeathed us to be vigilant and do everything so that the horror of a global war does not happen again,” he said.

According to Putin, despite the differences in international relations, Russia has always advocated the creation of an equal and indivisible security system, which is "vital to the world community."

Here are key statements from Putin's speech at the Victory Parade:

• Our duty is to keep the memory of those who crushed Nazism. Defending the Motherland during crucial times has always been sacred;
• Addressing the military: you are fighting for our people in the Donbass, for the security of our Motherland;
• Russia has always advocated the creation of a system of equal and indivisible security. The NATO countries did not want to hear us, which means that, in fact, they had other plans, and we can see it;
• Everyone said that a clash with Nazis, Banderites was inevitable. Russia delivered a preemptive strike to aggression. It was a forced, timely and the only right decision. In the West, they now hail traitors and cross out the courage of those who achieved Victory through suffering;
• Today, the Donbass militia, together with the Russian army, are fighting on their own land. The military personnel who arrived from Donbass participate in the parade;
• Russia has a different character. We will never give up faith and traditional values. In the West, they have decided, apparently to abolish the millennial values.

Putin did not announce full troop mobilisation during his speech. He concluded his speech at the parade by saying:

"Glory to our valiant armed forces. For Russia, for Victory, hooray!