Russia’s Victory Day parade marks 80th anniversary of defeat of Nazi Germany

The event sees Moscow projecting its military power. Picture: AP

Russia has marked the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War with a massive military parade on Red Square attended by president Vladimir Putin and foreign leaders including Chinese president Xi Jinping and Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Victory Day, which is celebrated in Russia on May 9, is the country’s most important secular holiday.

A Red Square parade and other ceremonies underline Moscow’s efforts to project its global power and cement the alliances it has forged as a counterbalance to the West amid the conflict in Ukraine.

The Chinese leader attended alongside Vladimir Putin (RIA Novosti via AP)

The Second World War is a rare event in Russia’s divisive history under Communist rule that is revered by all political groups, and the Kremlin has used that sentiment to encourage national pride and underline Russia’s position as a global power.

The Soviet Union lost a staggering 27 million people in what it calls the Great Patriotic War in 1941-45, an enormous sacrifice that left a deep scar in the national psyche.

Festivities this year were overshadowed by Ukrainian drone attacks targeting Moscow and severe disruptions at the capital’s airports.

The day is one of Russia’s most important national holidays (RIA Novosti via AP)

Russian flag carrier Aeroflot cancelled more than 100 flights to and from Moscow on Wednesday, and delayed around 140 others as the military repelled repeated Ukrainian drone attacks on the capital.

Russian authorities tightened security ahead of the parade and mobile phone internet outages were reported amid electronic countermeasures aimed at foiling more potential drone attacks.

Mr Putin has declared a unilateral 72-hour ceasefire starting on Wednesday to coincide with the Victory Day celebrations.

Moscow has been reluctant to accept a US-proposed 30-day truce that Ukraine has accepted, linking it to a halt in Western arms supplies to Ukraine and Kyiv’s mobilisation effort, conditions Ukraine and its Western allies have rejected.