Happy Victory Day!

[MeMyselfAndI]

Today, we celebrate the Great Victory over Nazism. 11,000 military personnel from Russia and 13 other countries (Britain, France, USA, Poland, as well as Ukraine, Belarus, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Tajikistan, and other former Soviet nations), 161 military vehicle, and 127 aircraft, planes and helicopters, took part in the Victory Parade in Moscow alone. The head of the Turkmenistan delegation rode out on a white horse, a reference to Marshal Georgy Zhukov in the original, 1945, Victory parade; in fact, the Turkmen President said the horse is a direct descendant of Zhukov's stallion http://www.rian.ru/victory_mm/20100509/232334226_11.htmlhttp://img.beta.rian.ru/images/23234/81/232348191.jpg. Veterans from all over the former Soviet Union congregated to the city. Many came with families, grandchildren, some even with great-grandchildren. The veterans were driven to their designated area on Red Square in electric cars provided by the Russian government; there, young cadets from Suvorov Military Academy were on hand to help them to their seats. Many world leaders, including Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany, Presidents Hu Jintao of China, Shimon Peres of Israel, Ilham Aliev of Azerbaijan, Serg Sargsian of Armenia, Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan and others from Latvia, Serbia, the Czech Republic, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Vietnam, etc, attended the event.


And, as always, Muskovites found a way to make money off it: people who live on streets where the parade was rolling through rented out their balconies for the duration, 600 rubles (about $20) per hour. :)


http://www.rian.ru/victory_mm/20100509/232334226.html
Photo gallery. I will find a video later.

[Michael]

Wow. I've never heard of any Victory Day parades in the west. I suppose we had some back in 1945, but not now. :shrug:

Anyway, good to see that Marshal Zhukov didn't get his reputation purged or anything by the Stalinists. I've always considered him to be the greatest general of WW2. :)

Anyway, :cheers: to the allied victory!

[MeMyselfAndI]

The parades are good. I love how the Victory Parades bring us all together. In Kiev, Ukraine, for the first time since the fall of USSR, Russian, Ukrainian, and Belorussian Paratroopers lined up and marched together on Victory Day. Looked great.
http://img.lenta.ru/news/2010/04/12/weap/picture.jpg

[Michael]

The parades are good. I love how the Victory Parades bring us all together. In Kiev, Ukraine, for the first time since the fall of USSR, Russian, Ukrainian, and Belorussian Paratroopers lined up and marched together on Victory Day. Looked great.


Yes, I can well understand that 'unity' parades are a good thing over there.

And I also understand how many 'old' occasions for such parades are often associated with either the old Soviet regime (May Day) or even the old Czarist regimes. Celebrating 'Victory Day' would seem to be a perfect day to transcend politics with a theme of unity and victory. :)

[Non Sequitur]

I have always thought that Allied victory should more celebrated more in the US. Come on people, it's the closest thing we get to Just War and it's a victory over Fascism...

[Michael]

http://www.rian.ru/victory_mm/20100509/232334226.html
Photo gallery. I will find a video later.

Btw, I love that Russian 'goose-stepping' style! :lol:

It is amusing to compare various traditional 'goose-steps' from different militaries around the world! :D

And there are some Coldstream Guards? What are they doing there? (Scarlet tunics and big black bearskin hats - a very famous British parade uniform) - they are marching under battle colors, so I guess they are paying tribute as an ally from WW2.

(and its pretty bad when I recognize many of the Russian aircraft names from 'shooting at them' in video games!) :lol:

[Michael]

http://img.beta.rian.ru/images/23232/66/232326649.jpg

Now that's an unexpected symbol to see! What's up with that?

[Americano]

I have always thought that Allied victory should more celebrated more in the US. Come on people, it's the closest thing we get to Just War and it's a victory over Fascism...

My rural area just had a parade with local TV coverage for a block of deactivated national guard troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. The community has been preparing for it the past six months with special food banks, financial assistance and counseling. Few are returning to jobs.

A ww2 victory celebration would be celebrated by remaining ww2 veterans and those ranks are becoming very thin. We haven't had a military victory that included plunder in a long, long time and seem to be losing the economic war.

[MeMyselfAndI]

http://img.beta.rian.ru/images/23232/66/232326649.jpg

Now that's an unexpected symbol to see! What's up with that?

Why unexpected? When USSR fell, Russia went back to the old, Imperial regallia, double headed Eagles. They tried to take all the Red Stars from the Kremlin towers. Took down most. Replaced them with the Eagles.

[Non Sequitur]

My rural area just had a parade with local TV coverage for a block of deactivated national guard troops returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. The community has been preparing for it the past six months with special food banks, financial assistance and counseling. Few are returning to jobs.

A ww2 victory celebration would be celebrated by remaining ww2 veterans and those ranks are becoming very thin. We haven't had a military victory that included plunder in a long, long time and seem to be losing the economic war.

wow, feeling cynical today....

And why can World War II victory need the vets to celebrate. This is a victory everyone should be able to celebrate.

[Michael]

Why unexpected? When USSR fell, Russia went back to the old, Imperial regallia, double headed Eagles. They tried to take all the Red Stars from the Kremlin towers. Took down most. Replaced them with the Eagles.
It is unexpected that Russia would ressurect symbols of the Imperial Czar.

[Americano]

wow, feeling cynical today....

And why can World War II victory need the vets to celebrate. This is a victory everyone should be able to celebrate.

It doesn't seem to have much popular relevance after losing three in a row with US troops still stationed in Afghanistan, Iraq and Korea. To a majority of the population merely a historical footnote followed by yet more wars.