The 2016 Moscow Victory Day Parade was a military parade that took place in Red Square in Moscow on 9 May 2016 to commemorate the 71st anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945. The annual parade marks the Allied victory in World War II at the Eastern Front, on the same day as the signing of the German act of capitulation to the Allies in Berlin, at midnight of 9 May 1945 (Russian time). President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin delivered his thirteenth holiday address to the nation on this day, right after the parade inspection that had presided over by Minister of Defense General of the Army Sergey Shoygu and led by the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces, Colonel General Oleg Salyukov. This was the second consecutive parade that included a moment of silence.
Other guests included People's Artist of Russia Joseph Kobzon, American boxer Jeff Monson, American filmmaker Oliver Stone, and former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. [1] [2]
Beginning in November/December 2015, preparations for the parade were well attended at the unit level. Individual unit practices were held in the various military installations for all the participating units in the national and local parades. Unit practices within Moscow Oblast itself started in early March in the Alabino field [3] before the full blown parade practice run-throughs for all the participating units will commence.
All parade practice runs began on 26 March 2016 in Alabino with the first practice run through for the ground column, kicking off the month long national preparations for Victory Day, and will last even until the middle of April when the runs on Red Square for the national parade itself will start, ending with a final general combined practice run of the parade in early May. From the 3rd week of March up to the 3rd week of April, the Alabino military training center serves as the parade training ground for the estimated 12,000 military personnel in attendance for the Moscow parade, plus more than 175 vehicles and 80 aircraft. Also rehearsing for the parade are the massed military bands of the Armed Forces, the MVD, EMERCOM and the Moscow Garrison, all to be conducted for the 14th straight year by Lieutenant General Valery Khalilov, the Senior Director of Music of the Bands Service of the Russian Armed Forces since 2002, with a combined number of more than a thousand military bandsmen, and the world-famous Corps of Drums of the Moscow Military Music College "Field Marshal Alexander Suvorov", under the leadership of Colonel Alexander Gerasimov, the long-time college director, which has always (with a brief break from 2009 to 2011) had the traditional privilege starting 1940 of leading the parade proper, distinguished by their dark blue and red dress uniforms, snare drums and fifes, plus the color guard unit.
The 15 April practice run through in Alabino was the first to be recorded live through a drone and also the first rehearsal run-through ever to be live streamed on YouTube through RT's YouTube channel. [4]
This year's parade did, as always, featured the ODON Division which, for the very first time, marched under the banner of the newly established National Guard of Russia, created on 5 April 2016, and replaced the now defunct Internal Troops, together with the Zhukovsky - Gagarin Air Force Academy, under the banner of the 9-month old Russian Aerospace Forces founded in August 2015.
After the positive response and rave reviews of the first ever girls' cadet company that marched in Red Square in 2015, the 2016 parade, for the very first time, featured women officers and other ranks of the Armed Forces marching past, honoring the many women who fought during the 4-year long conflict in the battlefield and the home front. This year's first women's battalion was led by Colonel Olesya Buka (one of the longest serving female officers) [5] and was composed of 2 companies of both lady officers, WOs and other ranks from the Military University of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation and the Military Academy of Material and Technical Security "General of the Army A. V. Khrulev". [6]
Bold indicates first appearance, italic indicates multiple appearances, Bold and italic indicate returning appearance, all indicated unless otherwise noted.
As per tradition, 26 other Russian major cities (Sevastopol and Kerch in the disputed Crimea included) held their parades on this day, and joint civil-military parades were hosted by 50 other towns and cities nationwide. Parades were also held in both the pro-Russian territories in eastern Ukraine (the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, both featuring the United Armed Forces of Novorossiya and the republican MVD and EMERCOM units).
Kazakhstan did not hold any parades this year (either on this day or on 7 May), but Belarus carried on with the annual veterans' parade on this day in Minsk, Ukraine held its usual parade and Military tattoo in Kyiv after a 6-year break.
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus consist of the Ground Forces and the Air Force and Air Defence Forces, all under the command of the Ministry of Defence of Belarus. As a landlocked country, Belarus has no navy.
The Russian Air Force is a branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces, the latter being formed on 1 August 2015 with the merging of the Russian Air Force and the Russian Aerospace Defence Forces. The modern VVS was originally established on 7 May 1992 following Boris Yeltsin's creation of the Ministry of Defence. However, the Russian Federation's air force can trace its lineage and traditions back to the Imperial Russian Air Service (1912–1917) and the Soviet Air Forces (1918–1991).
The 2008 Moscow Victory Day Parade was held on Victory Day on the occasion of the 63rd anniversary of the Great Patriotic War ending in the defeat of Nazi Germany. This was the first time the Russian Federation opened its vehicle showcase since 1991, and the airshow since the Cold War. The parade was commanded by Army General Vladimir Bakin, Commander of the Moscow Military District, and reviewed by Anatoliy Serdyukov of the Russian Ministry of Defence. A speech was made by Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, who took office just two days prior. This would be notable to be the first ever major Russian military parade seen on television worldwide when RT carried a live broadcast of the parade for the first time in its history.
The 2009 Moscow Victory Parade was held on Victory Day on the 64th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War, which ended in the defeat of Nazi Germany. The parade was commanded by Valery Gerasimov, commander of the Moscow Military District, and reviewed by Anatoliy Serdyukov of the Russian Ministry of Defence. A speech was made by the third president of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, in which he warned other countries against embarking on military adventures. This was thought to be a veiled warning directed at Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili. The Defense Ministry noted that the air parade is a de facto dress rehearsal for the jubilee parade that followed in honor of the 65th anniversary of Victory.
The 2010 Moscow Victory Day Parade was held on 9 May 2010 to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945. The parade marks the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War.
The 2011 Moscow Victory Day Parade was an event held on 9 May 2011 to commemorate the 66th anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945. The parade marked the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War. 20,000 soldiers and officers representing all three services of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Federal Security Service, and the Ministry of Emergency Situations took part in the parade, followed by +100 military vehicles and 5 Mil Mi-8 Hip helicopters.
The 2012 Moscow Victory Day Parade was held on 9 May 2012 on Moscow's Red Square to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945. The parade marked the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War on the very day on the signing of the German act of capitulation, on the very midnight of May 9, 1945. Newly inaugurated President of Russia Vladimir Putin made his ninth victory holiday address in this parade.
The 2013 Moscow Victory Day Parade was a parade held in Red Square on 9 May 2013 to commemorate the 68th anniversary of the capitulation of the Third Reich in 1945. The annual parade marks the Allied victory in the Great Patriotic War on the same day as the signing of the German act of capitulation to the Allies in Berlin, at midnight of May 9, 1945. The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, delivered his tenth holiday address, and it was the first parade for both the Minister of Defense General of the Army Sergey Shoigu and Russian Ground Forces commander Col. Gen. Vladimir Chirkin, replacing Valery Gerasimov who has been promoted to Chief of the General Staff. The parade this year included the Suvorov Military School and the Nakhimov Naval School for the first time in four years, and the first appearance from a Cossack cadet corps unit, joining the more than 11,000 service personnel that marched on Red Square, and the return of the full air fly over after two years. The BTR82A IFV made its parade debut this year as part of the mobile column. Sevastopol in Ukraine, where the Black Sea Fleet is based, and 23 Russian cities will also hold parades on this day. As per tradition Kharkiv and Odesa in Ukraine also hold a full commemorative parade on this day as well.
The 2014 Moscow Victory Day Parade took place in Red Square on 9 May 2014 to commemorate the 69th anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945, which formally ended hostilities in the Second World War in Europe. The annual parade marks the Allied victory in the Great Patriotic War on the same day as the signing of the German act of capitulation to the Allies in Berlin, at midnight of May 9, 1945. President of Russia Vladimir Putin delivered his eleventh holiday address to the nation on this day.
The 2015 Moscow Victory Day Parade was a parade that took place in Red Square in Moscow on 9 May 2015 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945. The annual parade marks the Allied victory in the Second World War at the Eastern Front, on the same day as the signing of the German act of capitulation to the Allies in Berlin, at midnight of 9 May 1945. President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin delivered his twelfth holiday address to the nation on this day, right after the parade inspection that was presided by Minister of Defense General of the Army Sergey Shoygu.
The Moscow Victory Day Parade refers to the annual military parade of the Russian Armed Forces on Moscow's Red Square on May 9 during the Victory Day celebrations. The most important parade of those being held on May 9 is the one held on Moscow's Red Square, with the President of Russia as the guest of honor and keynote speaker in virtue of his constitutional mandate as Supreme Commander of the Russian Armed Forces. The parade is a commemoration of the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Red Army, marking the end of the Eastern Front of World War II, known in Russia as the Great Patriotic War.
The 4th Centre for Combat Employment and Retraining of Personnel VVS of the Russian Aerospace Forces is a research, training, and instructional centre. It was formed at Tambov on 19 April 1953. In 1954 it was transferred to Voronezh Malshevo and 1960 to the Lipetsk air base, and then was transformed into the 4th Centre deployment and retraining flight personnel of the Air Force. It was part of the Air Forces of the Moscow Military District for decades.
The 2007 Moscow Victory Parade was a celebration of the 62nd anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War. It was the last time Vladimir Putin made a holiday address in his first term as president. The parade was commanded by the head of the Moscow Garrison General of the army Vladimir Bakin, and reviewing the parade was Minister of Defence Anatoliy Serdyukov .Music was performed by the Moscow Garrison's Central Orchestra under Major General Valery Khalilov.
The 2017 Moscow Victory Day Parade was a military parade that took place in Red Square in Moscow on 9 May 2017 to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945. The annual parade marks the Allied victory in World War II on the Eastern Front, on the same day as the signing of the German act of capitulation to the Allies in Berlin, at midnight of 9 May 1945. President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin delivered his fourteenth holiday address to the nation after the parade inspection presided over by Minister of Defense General of the Army Sergey Shoygu.
Victory Day parades are common military parades that are held on 9 May in some post-Soviet nations, primarily Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, and formerly Ukraine. They are usually held to honor the traditional Victory Day holiday. In 2015, the Ukrainian government renamed the holiday as "Victory Day over Nazism in World War II" as part of decommunization laws and in 2023 moved the holiday to 8 May.
The 2018 Moscow Victory Day Parade was a military parade that took place in Red Square in Moscow on 9 May 2018 to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945. The annual parade marks the Allied victory in World War II on the Eastern Front, on the same day as the signing of the German act of capitulation to the Allies in Berlin, at midnight of 9 May 1945. President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin delivered his fifteenth holiday address to the nation after the parade inspection presided over by Minister of Defense General of the Army Sergey Shoygu.
Russian military bands fall under the jurisdiction of the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Russia, which is the official music service for the Russian Armed Forces, and led by the Senior Director of Music, a billet of an officer with the rank of a Colonel or a general officer. There are currently between 200 and 300 military bands in the Russian Armed Forces that span across the military as well as all uniformed services in the country. Unlike most western nations, the Armed Forces does not maintain any bands composed of volunteering civilian musicians, as all bands, active or reserve, are manned by graduates of the military music training centers stationed anywhere in the country, as well as of civilian conservatories. While choirs may be attached to military bands, individual staff choirs do not exist in the Russian Armed Forces, since they have attached instrumental ensembles or orchestras. As of 2009, all military musicians are paid around 13,000 rubles ($169.65) for their service in the Armed Forces and other uniformed organizations.
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.
The 2019 Moscow Victory Day Parade was a military parade that took place in Red Square in Moscow on 9 May 2019 to commemorate the 74th anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945. It was the largest of all the parades held on this day in Russia and in many former republics of the Soviet Union.
The 2020 Moscow Victory Day Parade was a military parade that took place in Moscow's Red Square on 24 June 2020 to commemorate the 75th Diamond Jubilee of both the capitulation of Nazi Germany in the Second World War in 1945 and the historic Moscow Victory Parade of 1945.