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Russia showed off its military might at a massive parade through Red Square - here's what they put on display
Russia showed off its military might at a massive parade through Red Square - here's what they put on display
Kieran CorcoranMay 9, 2018, 17:50 IST
A WWII-era T-34 tank rolls through Red Square on the May 9, 2018, Victory Day parade.AP
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Russia's military might was on full display Wednesday as the country held its annual Victory Day parade in Moscow's Red Square.
Vladimir Putin, who recently began his fourth term as Russian president, had pride of place at the display, which featured thousands of soldiers, scores of armored vehicles, and new hi-tech additions to the Russian forces.
Victory Day is held every year to celebrate the Soviet Red Army's role in defeating Nazi Germany. As such, a spattering of vintage technology also made an appearance.
Highlights included the parade debuts of the Su-57 stealth jet, as well as the Uran-9 "robotank."
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Scroll down to see the full spread of what was on display.
The Victory Day Parade is the biggest date on Russia's military calendar, and a massive deal around the whole country. It was broadcast live on the Rossiya-1 TV channel, and all over the internet.
It takes place in Red Square, the symbolic heart of the Russian state. This year's parade involved around 13,000 servicemen.
The scale was truly impressive.
As well as the sheer quantity of soldiers on foot, Russia was keen to display some of its firepower, like these BUK missile launchers.
Here are the BUKs in formation with other vehicles.
As Victory Day commemorates success in WWII, the vintage T-34 tank made an appearance too.
Here's another view of the tank, with lighter vehicles following behind.
Later on, a host of Armored Personnel Carriers took their turn.
However, the vehicular star of the show was undoubtedly the Uran-9 "robotank" drone. Here it is on the back of a flatbed truck.
Here it is from another angle.
Russia had airborne drones on display too. here is the fixed-wing Korsar, on the back of a truck.
Here's another angle.
There is also a rotary-wing variant of the Korsar.
The main Russian Air Force was there too. Here is a fly-past from 6 Su-25 fighters trailing the colors of the Russian flag.
The Russian aerobatic teams made an appearance too. Here are MiG-29 fighters of from Strizhi ("Swifts") in red, and Su-30 fighters from the Russkiye Vityazi (Russian Knights) in blue.
The new Su-57 stealth fighter also made its debut over the skies of Moscow. The new hardware has recently been active in Syria.
There was also a special appearance of Russia's Mig-31 carrying its new "dagger" missile, which is said to be a hypersonic anti-ship missile that can carry a nuclear payload.
Vladimir Putin was the star of the day — and invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu along as well.
Russia's Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu, took part in the parade, riding in uniform in an open-topped car.
Old Soviet leaders attended as well. Here is Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the USSR.
At one point he seemed to break down and cry.
Russia's security services weren't just parading, though. Here are snipers in position over Red Square keeping an eye on the crowds.
