Russia has held an enormous dress rehearsal for its annual May 9 Victory Day parade, which will take place in Red Square in Moscow on Thursday. The parade marks the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, and honours the millions of Red Army soldiers as well as innocent civilians who perished in the conflict. The Moscow Times reports that nearly half of all Russians plan to attend a Victory Day parade on Thursday, and the most recent show of military might — a huge practice drill held Tuesday — included 13,000 soldiers, 132 weapons systems and 74 aircraft, according to CGTN. The array of Russian firepower on display included rocket launcher systems, ballistic missiles, tanks, fighter jets, helicopters and more. Critics say the parade, in recent years, has been used as an extravagant propaganda exercise by Russian leader Vladimir Putin — a chance for him to show the world the latest advances in Russian weaponry.

Source: National Post May 08, 2019 16:52 UTC