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 Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), an ...

. The parade was inspected by the USSR Minister of Defense

Marshal Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

Dmitry Yazov, and was commanded by the Commander of the Moscow Military District

Colonel general Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...

Nikolai Vasilyevich Kalinin.

Overview

12.5 thousand people and 429 units of equipment took part in the parade. It was the last parade in the

USSR The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nati ...

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 Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov. ( 1870 – 21 January 1924), better known as Vladimir Lenin,. was a Russian revolutionary, politician, and political theorist. He served as the first and founding head of government of Soviet Russia from 1917 to 1 ...

'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. 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 The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is made up of state, U.S. territory, and overseas departments, and these are in turn made up of ...

Band was also held on Red Square following the massive parade, becoming the first American Band to ever play in Moscow.

Full order of the marchpast

Military bands

* Massed Military Bands of the Moscow Military District

Ground column

* Corps of Drums of the Moscow Military Music College *

Victory Banner The Soviet Banner of Victory (russian: Знамя Победы, translit=Znamya Pobedy) was the banner raised by the Red Army soldiers on the Reichstag building in Berlin on 1 May 1945, the day after Adolf Hitler committed suicide. It was r ...

Color Guard * Front Standards * Colour guard battalion of regimental, brigade and division colors of the Soviet Army * Veterans regiment ** Heroes of the Soviet Union ** Recipients of the Order of Glory ** Veteran participants of the Moscow Victory Parade of 1945 ** Partisans ** Civil awardees of the Order of Labour Glory * Historical regiment * M. V. Frunze Military Academy * V. I. Lenin Military Political Academy * Military Artillery Academy "Felix Dzerzhinsky" * Military Armored Forces Academy Marshal Rodion Malinovsky * Military Engineering Academy * Military Academy of Chemical Defense and Control * Yuri Gagarin Air Force Academy * Professor Nikolai Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy * M. V. Frunze Naval College * Airborne Division * Moscow Border Guards Institute of the Border Defence Forces of the KGB "Moscow City Council" * OMSDON Ind. Motorized Division of the Internal Troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR "Felix Dzerzhinsky" *

Suvorov Military School The Suvorov Military Schools (russian: Суворовское военное училище) are a type of boarding school in the former Soviet Union and in modern Russia and Belarus for boys of 10–17. Education in these schools focuses on mi ...

* Nakhimov Naval School * Moscow Military High Command Training School "Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR" 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.

Mobile Column

* Historical column **

T-34 The T-34 is a Soviet medium tank introduced in 1940. When introduced its 76.2 mm (3 in) tank gun was less powerful than its contemporaries while its 60-degree sloped armour provided good protection against anti-tank weapons. The C ...

** SU-100 **

ZIL-157 The ZIL-157 is a general-purpose -ton 6×6 truck, produced at the Lichachev plant in the Soviet Union from 1958 to 1977, when production was transferred to the Amur plant, since the Lichachev plant wanted to focus more on modern trucks, such as ...

** ZIL-131 ** Katyusha rocket launchers ** BRDM-2 * Modern column ** BTR-80 ** BMP-2 **

BMP-3 The BMP-3 is a Soviet and Russian infantry fighting vehicle, successor to the BMP-1 and BMP-2. The abbreviation BMP stands for ''boevaya mashina pehoty'' (, literally "infantry combat vehicle"). Production history The design of the BMP-3 ('' ...

** BMD-1 **

T-72 The T-72 is a family of Soviet/Russian main battle tanks that entered production in 1969. The T-72 was a development of the T-64, which was troubled by high costs and its reliance on immature developmental technology. About 25,000 T-72 tanks h ...

T-80 The T-80 is a main battle tank (MBT) that was designed and manufactured in the former Soviet Union and manufactured in Russia. The T-80 is based on the T-64, while incorporating features from the later T-72. The chief designer of the T-80 was S ...

** 2S1 Gvozdika **

2S3 Akatsiya The SO-152 (Russian: СО-152) is a Soviet 152.4 mm self-propelled gun developed in 1968, as a response to the American 155 mm M109 howitzer. Development began in 1967, according to the Resolution of the Council of Ministers of the Sovie ...

2S9 Nona S9 may refer to: Transportation * SIAI S.9, a 1918 Italian flying boat * Aircraft registration prefix of São Tomé and Príncipe * USS ''S-9'' (SS-114), a 1920 S-class submarine of the United States Navy * County Route S9 (California) * Rans ...

** BM-21 Grad ** BM-27 Uragan **

2A36 Giatsint-B The 2A36 Giatsint-B (russian: Гиацинт; "Hyacinth") is a Soviet/Russian towed 152 mm field gun which entered service in 1975. The 2A36 is designed to suppress and destroy enemy manpower and equipment. It is also suitable for counter-b ...

9K35 Strela-10 The 9K35 ''Strela-10'' (russian: 9К35 «Стрела-10»; en, arrow) is a Soviet highly mobile, short-range surface-to-air missile system. It is visually aimed, and utilizes optical/ infrared-guidance. The system is primarily intended to engag ...

9K33 Osa The 9K33 ''Osa'' (, literally "wasp"; NATO reporting name SA-8 ''Gecko'') is a highly mobile, low-altitude, short-range tactical surface-to-air missile system developed in the Soviet Union in the 1960s and fielded in 1972. Its export version na ...

** S-300 missile system ** OTR-21 Tochka ** 9K52 Luna-M ** R-17 Elbrus

Music

The military band of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union was commanded by Major General Nikolay Mikhailov. ; Inspection and address * ''

Jubilee Slow March "25 Years of the Red Army" The Jubilee Slow March "25 Years of the RKKA" (russian: Юбилейный встречный марш "25 лет РККА"), was a Soviet inspection march composed by Semyon Tchernetsky in 1943. Gramophone record No. 265 from the repository of the ...

'' (Юбилейный встречный марш "25 лет РККА) by Semyon Tchernetsky * ''Slow March of the Tankmen'' (Встречный Марш Танкистов) by Semeon Tchenertsky * ''Slow March of the Guards of the Navy'' (Гвардейский Встречный Марш Военно-Морского Флота) by Nikolai Pavlocich Ivanov-Radkevich * Unknown March * ''

March of the Preobrazhensky Regiment The March of the Preobrazhensky Life-Guard Regiment (russian: Марш Лейб-гвардии Преображенского полка) is one of the most famous Russian military marches. The Preobrazhensky Life-Guard Regiment was one of the ...

'' (Марш Преображенского Полка) * ''Slow March of the Officers Schools'' (Встречный Марш офицерских училищ) by Semyon Tchernetsky * ''Slow March'' (Встречный Марш) by Dmitry Pertsev * ''Slow March of the Red Army'' (Встречный Марш Красной Армии) by Semyon Tchernetsky * ''Slow March Victory'' (Встречный Марш «Победа») by Yuriy Griboyedov * ''Slow March'' (Встречный Марш) by Severian Ganichev * ''Slow March of the Guards of the Navy'' (Гвардейский Встречный Марш Военно-Морского Флота) by Nikolai Pavlocich Ivanov-Radkevich * ''Slow March'' (Встречный Марш) by Viktor Sergeyebich Runov * '' Glory'' (Славься) by

Mikhail Glinka Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka ( rus, link=no, Михаил Иванович Глинка, Mikhail Ivanovich Glinka., mʲɪxɐˈil ɪˈvanəvʲɪdʑ ˈɡlʲinkə, Ru-Mikhail-Ivanovich-Glinka.ogg; ) was the first Russian composer to gain wide recogni ...

* ''Moscow Parade Fanfare'' (Московская Парадная Фанфара) by Unknown * '' State Anthem of the Soviet Union'' (Государственный гимн Советского Союза) by Alexander Alexandrov * ''Fanfare'' (Фанфара) ; Infantry Column * '' Long Live Our State'' (Да здравствует наша держава) by Boris Alexandrov * " The Sacred War" (Священная война) by Alexander Alexandrov * '' Farewell of Slavianka'' (Прощание Славянки) by Vasiliy Agapkin * ''We Need One Victory'' (Нам Нужна Одна Победа) by Bulat Shalvovich Okudzhava * '' Victory Day'' (День Победы) by David Fyodorovich Tukhmanov * ''March Victory'' (Марш Победа) by Albert Mikhailovich Arutyunov * ''In Defense of the Homeland'' (В защиту Родины) by Viktor Sergeyevich Runov * ''On Guard for the Peace'' (На страже Мира) by Boris Alexandrovich Diev * ''Combat March'' (Строевой Марш) by Dmitry Illarionovich Pertsev * ''Leningrad'' (Ленинград) by Viktor Sergeyeich Runov * ''We are the Army of the People'' (Мы Армия Народа) by Georgy Viktorovich Mavsesyan * ''Sports March'' (Спортивный Марш) by Valentin Volkov * '' Victory Day'' (День Победы) by David Fyodorovich Tukhmanov * ''Long Live our State'' (Да здравствует наша держава) by Boris Alexandrov ; Mobile Column and Conclusion * '' My Dear Capital/My Moscow'' (Дорогая Моя Столица/Моя Москва) by Isaac Dunayevsky * ''We Need One Victory'' (Нам Нужна Одна Победа) by Bulat Shalvovich Okudzhava * ''Salute to Moscow'' (Салют Москвы) by Semyon Tchernetsky * ''March of the Tankmen'' (Марш Танкистов) by Semyon Tchernetsky * '' Song of the Soviet Army'' (Песня о Советской Армии) by Alexander Alexandrov

Other parades held in other cities

For many republics, this was the last parade held before the independence day of their republic. Among these was the

Latvian SSR The Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic (Latvian SSR), also known as Soviet Latvia or simply Latvia, was a federated republic within the Soviet Union, and formally one of its 16 (later 15) constituent Republics of the Soviet Union, republics. Th ...

, whose parade of the Baltic Military District took place on the bank of the Daugava in

Riga Riga (; lv, Rīga , liv, Rīgõ) is the capital and largest city of Latvia and is home to 605,802 inhabitants which is a third of Latvia's population. The city lies on the Gulf of Riga at the mouth of the Daugava river where it meets the ...

, being received by Colonel General Fyodor Kuzmin, the commander of the district's troops. Parades were also held in cities such as

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach (Berezina), Svislach and the now subterranean Nyamiha, Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative stat ...

(

Belarusian SSR The Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic (BSSR, or Byelorussian SSR; be, Беларуская Савецкая Сацыялістычная Рэспубліка, Bielaruskaja Savieckaja Sacyjalistyčnaja Respublika; russian: Белор� ...

) and

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the seventh-most populous city in Europe. Ky ...

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

).http://dspace.nbuv.gov.ua/bitstream/handle/123456789/129966/07-Pastushenko.pdf%3Fsequence%3D1&ved=2ahUKEwi2jInx2LTqAhVZbc0KHTnVDOcQFjASegQIBhAB&usg=AOvVaw1LnSbudW6-iFq3VKAw9gWn

References

{{Moscow Victory Parade, state=expanded 1990 in the Soviet Union 1990 in military history May 1990 events in Russia Moscow Victory Day Parades