About 16,000 soldiers, 200 armoured vehicles and 150 planes and helicopters will take part in a Moscow parade for Victory Day on 9 May, dubbed Russia's "biggest holiday" by Vladimir Putin. This year marks 70 years since the allied victory in the second world war, and will be the last major anniversary of the conflict when significant numbers of veterans are still alive.
The Guardian: Western leaders’ snub casts shadow over Russia’s lavish Victory Day celebrations
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (C) speaks during a wreath laying ceremony at the WWII memorial for Soviet soldiers, called the Slavin, during a ceremony to mark the 70th anniversary of Bratislava's liberation from the Nazis by the Red Army.
