Russia celebrates victory in World War II at Victory Day parade

Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

Russia wrapped itself in patriotic pageantry on Thursday for Victory Day, a celebration of its defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II that President Vladimir Putin has turned into a pillar of his nearly quarter-century in power and a justification for his move into Ukraine.

Even though few veterans of what Russia calls the Great Patriotic War are still alive 79 years after Berlin fell to the Red Army, the victory over Nazi Germany remains the most important and widely revered symbol of the country’s prowess and a key element of national identity.