The 1990 Moscow Victory Day Parade was held on May 9, 1990 to commemorate the 45th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War. The parade was inspected by the USSR Minister of Defense Marshal Dmitry Yazov, and was commanded by the Commander of the Moscow Military District Colonel general Nikolai Vasilyevich Kalinin.
12.5 thousand people and 429 units of equipment took part in the parade. It was the last parade in the USSR on Red Square, dedicated to the victory in the Great Patriotic War. This is the first Victory Day parade which did not depict Vladimir Lenin's portrait on the Red Square and this practice continues to the present. This parade also featured a float featuring the Soldier-liberator Statue, the first-of-its-kind for a Soviet Victory Day Parade. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] On the eve of the parade, Gorbachev laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A small parade featuring the Waltham American Legion Band was also held on Red Square following the massive parade, becoming the first American Band to ever play in Moscow. [6] [7]
During the transition period from the ground to mobile columns, 30 cadets from the Suvorov and Nakhimov schools marched to the grandstand to bring flowers to the Soviet leadership who attended. [8]
The military band of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union was commanded by Major General Nikolay Mikhailov.
For many republics, this was the last parade held before the independence day of their republic. Among these was the Latvian SSR, whose parade of the Baltic Military District took place on the bank of the Daugava in Riga, being received by Colonel General Fyodor Kuzmin, the commander of the district's troops. [9] Parades were also held in cities such as Minsk (Belarusian SSR) and Kyiv Ukrainian SSR). [10] [11]