The 2008 Moscow Victory Parade was held on

Victory Day (9 May) etc. , nickname = , observedby = Russia and some former states of Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact; Serbia, Israel , duration = 1 day , frequency = Annual , date = 9 May , scheduling = same day each year , celebrations ...

on the occasion of the 63rd anniversary of 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 ...

ending in the defeat of

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...

. This was the first time the Russian Federation opened its vehicle showcase since 1991, and the airshow since the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because t ...

. The

parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually celebrations of s ...

was commanded by Army General Vladimir Bakin, Commander of the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District was a military district of the Soviet Armed Forces and the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. The district was awarded the Order of Lenin in 1968. In 2010 it was merged with the Leningrad Military D ...

, and reviewed by

Anatoliy Serdyukov Anatoly Eduardovich Serdyukov (russian: Анатолий Эдуардович Сердюков; born 8 January 1962) is a Russian politician and businessman. He was Russia's Minister of Defense from 15 February 2007 to 6 November 2012, and made ...

of the Russian Ministry of Defence. A speech was made by

Russian president The president of the Russian Federation ( rus, Президент Российской Федерации, Prezident Rossiyskoy Federatsii) is the head of state of the Russian Federation. The president leads the executive branch of the federal ...

Dmitry Medvedev Dmitry Anatolyevich Medvedev ( rus, links=no, Дмитрий Анатольевич Медведев, p=ˈdmʲitrʲɪj ɐnɐˈtolʲjɪvʲɪtɕ mʲɪdˈvʲedʲɪf; born 14 September 1965) is a Russian politician who has been serving as the dep ...

, 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.

Parade Program

Parade formations

Note: Those indicated in bold indicate first parade appearance, those indicated with ''italic'' indicate double or multiple parade appearances. * General of the Army Vladimir Bakin, Commander of the Moscow Military District (parade commander) * Defense Minister of the Russian Federation Anatoliy Serdyukov (parade inspector)

Military Band A military band is a group of personnel that performs musical duties for military functions, usually for the armed forces. A typical military band consists mostly of wind and percussion instruments. The conductor of a band commonly bears the ti ...
s in Attendance

* Massed Military Bands led and conducted by Major General Valery Khalilov and composed of: ** Headquarters Band of the

** Central Military Band of the MDRF ** Central Band of the Russian Navy ** Band of the Moscow Military Conservatoire, Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation ** HQ

Band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation * Corps of Drums of the Moscow Military Music College

Infantry Column

*'' 154th Moscow Garrison Commandant's

Honor Guard A guard of honour ( GB), also honor guard ( US), also ceremonial guard, is a group of people, usually military in nature, appointed to receive or guard a head of state or other dignitaries, the fallen in war, or to attend at state ceremonials, ...

Regiment and

Color Guard In military organizations, a colour guard (or color guard) is a detachment of soldiers assigned to the protection of regimental colours and the national flag. This duty is so prestigious that the military colour is generally carried by a young ...

s'' ** Colors Party composed of: ***

Flag of Russia The national flag of Russia (russian: Флаг России, Flag Rossii), also known as the ''State Flag of the Russian Federation'' (russian: Государственный флаг Российской Федерации, Gosudarstvenny fla ...

***

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 ...

*** Banner of the

Armed Forces of the Russian Federation The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (, ), commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military forces of Russia. In terms of active-duty personnel, they are the world's fifth-largest military force, with at least two m ...

** Combined Honor Guard Company of the Armed Forces * Historical units * Representative units of the Armed Forced,

Ministry of Internal Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...

, Ministry of Emergency Situations and Civil Defense,

Federal Security Service The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) RF; rus, Федеральная служба безопасности Российской Федерации (ФСБ России), Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Feder ...

as well as units of the

**''

Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation The Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation is a military academy in Moscow which provides graduate education for officers of the Russian Armed Forces. The full name reads: ''The Combined Academies Order of Lenin Order ...

'' **'' Peter the Great Military Academy of the Strategic Missile Forces'' **''

Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation The Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation () is a Russian military university operated by the Ministry of Defense of Russia (MOD). It is located on 14 Bol'shaya Sadovaya Street in Moscow. Since October 2017, the ...

'' ** Gagarin Air Force Academy **

Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy () – is a higher military educational institution for training and retraining of engineers for the Russian Air Force. The academy trains specialists – engineers, research engineers in the following sp ...

**''

Civil Defense Academy of the Ministry of Emergency Situations The Civil Defence Academy of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Russia (russian: Академия гражданской защиты МЧС России; АГЗ МЧС России) is a state institution for the training of highly qualifie ...

of the Russian Federation'' **''Military Technological University'' **''Moscow Military Space Institute of Radio Electronics'' **'' Moscow Border Guards Institute of the Border Guard Service of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation "Moscow City Council"'' **

2nd Guards Motor Rifle Division The 2nd Guards M. I. Kalinin Taman Motor Rifle Division (russian: 2-я гвардейская мотострелковая Таманская ордена Октябрьской Революции Краснознаменная ордена Су ...

** 4th Kantemir Guards Armored Brigade "Yuri Andropov" **'' 27th Sevastopol Guards Motor Rifle Brigade'' **'' Ryazan Airborne Command Academy "Gen. of the Army Vasily Margelov"'' ** 98th Guards Airborne Division **'' ODON Ind. Motorized

Internal Troops The Internal Troops, full name Internal Troops of the Ministry for Internal Affairs (MVD) (russian: Внутренние войска Министерства внутренних дел, Vnutrenniye Voiska Ministerstva Vnutrennikh Del; abbreviat ...

Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation "

Felix Dzerzhinsky Felix Edmundovich Dzerzhinsky ( pl, Feliks Dzierżyński ; russian: Фе́ликс Эдму́ндович Дзержи́нский; – 20 July 1926), nicknamed "Iron Felix", was a Bolshevik revolutionary and official, born into Polish nobility ...

"'' **''Baltic Naval Military Institute "Admiral Fyodor Ushakov"'' **'' 336th Separate Bialystok Guards Naval Infantry Brigade of the

Baltic Fleet , image = Great emblem of the Baltic fleet.svg , image_size = 150 , caption = Baltic Fleet Great ensign , dates = 18 May 1703 – present , country = , allegiance = (1703–1721) (1721–1917) (1917–1922) (1922–1991)(1991–present) ...

'' **

Nakhimov Naval School The Nakhimov Naval School (russian: Нахимовское военно-морское училище) or Nakhimov School (russian: Нахимовское училище) is a form of military education for teenagers introduced in the Soviet Unio ...

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 ...

**'' Moscow Military Commanders Training School "Supreme Soviet of the RSFSR/Russian Federation"'' With more than 9,000 soldier, sailors, and airmen and 100 vehicles marching in the parade, this was the largest such parade held in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union.''Moscow Times'', "Medvedev Hints of New Georgia War", 12 May 200

Accessed 2009-05-14.
Archived
2009-07-31. Unlike previous Victory Day Parades, Victory Day parades, there were no units parading in Great Patriotic War uniforms, though the Victory Banner was paraded at the beginning of the ceremony. Training for the parade took two months in Alabino,

Moscow Oblast Moscow Oblast ( rus, Моско́вская о́бласть, r=Moskovskaya oblast', p=mɐˈskofskəjə ˈobləsʲtʲ), or Podmoskovye ( rus, Подмоско́вье, p=pədmɐˈskovʲjə, literally " under Moscow"), is a federal subject of R ...

. On 8 May, a temporary platform with a white-blue-red banner was erected on Red Square, covering the Lenin Mausoleum .

Ground vehicles at the Parade

This was the first time in the history of post-Soviet Russia when

armoured fighting vehicle An armoured fighting vehicle (AFV) is an armed combat vehicle protected by armour, generally combining operational mobility with offensive and defensive capabilities. AFVs can be wheeled or tracked. Examples of AFVs are tanks, armoured cars, ...

s took part in the

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːətʲ) is one of the oldest and largest squares in Moscow, the capital of Russia. Owing to its historical significance and the adjacent historical build ...

parade. In order of presentation: * Advanced guard flag group by three UAZ-469s * GAZ-2975 *

BTR-80 The BTR-80 (russian: бронетранспортёр, bronyetransportyor, literally "armoured transporter") is an 8×8 wheeled amphibious armoured personnel carrier (APC) designed in the USSR. It was adopted in 1985 and replaced the previous ...

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-4 The BMD-4 (russian: Боевая Машина Десанта-4, Boyevaya Mashina Desanta-4, en, Combat Vehicle of the Airborne) is an amphibious infantry fighting vehicle (IFV) originating from post-Cold War Russia. Originally designated as the ...

2S25 Sprut-SD The 2S25 Sprut-SD (Russian: 2С25 «Спрут-СД»; 2S25 "Kraken-SD") is a self-propelled anti-tank gun developed and to be manufactured by the Volgograd Tractor Plant to meet the requirements of the VDV. In mid-2001, the Volgograd tractor ...

T-90 The T-90 is a third-generation Russian main battle tank. It uses a 125mm 2A46 smoothbore main gun, the 1A45T fire-control system, an upgraded engine, and gunner's thermal sight. Standard protective measures include a blend of steel and comp ...

2S19 Msta The 2S19 Msta (russian: Мста, after the Msta River) is a 152.4 mm self-propelled howitzer designed by the Soviet Union, which entered service in 1989 as the successor to the 2S3 Akatsiya. The vehicle has the running gear of the T-80, bu ...

9K22 Tunguska The 2K22 Tunguska (russian: 2К22 "Тунгуска") is a Soviet and now Russian tracked self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon armed with a surface-to-air gun and missile system. It is designed to provide day and night protection for infantry and ...

Tor Missile System The Tor (russian: Тор; en, torus) is an all-weather, low- to medium-altitude, short-range surface-to-air missile system designed for destroying airplanes, helicopters, cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and short-range ballistic thr ...

* Buk-M1-2 *

BM-30 Smerch The BM-30 ''Smerch'' ( rus, Смерч, "tornado", "whirlwind"), 9K58 Smerch or 9A52-2 Smerch-M is a heavy self-propelled 300 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union. The system is intended to defeat personnel, armore ...

* S-300 * Iskander M *

RT-2PM Topol The RT-2PM Topol (russian: РТ-2ПМ Тополь ("Poplar"); NATO reporting name SS-25 Sickle; GRAU designation: 15Ж58 ("15Zh58"); START I designation: RS-12M Topol) is a mobile intercontinental ballistic missile designed in the Soviet Union a ...

* Rear guard flag group by three UAZ-469s On 22 April, the equipment was delivered to a training ground near Moscow. Before the parade, the tracked vehicles were delivered by rail. Due to the fact that in 1995 the Resurrection Gates were restored, military equipment entered the square on from one side of the

State Historical Museum The State Historical Museum ( Russian: Государственный исторический музей, ''Gosudarstvenny istoricheskiy muzyey'') of Russia is a museum of Russian history The history of Russia begins with the histories of ...

, and not from two as in previous parades.

Aircraft at the Parade

In order of presentation: * 3

Mil Mi-8 The Mil Mi-8 (russian: Ми-8, NATO reporting name: Hip) is a medium twin-turbine helicopter, originally designed by the Soviet Union in the 1960s and introduced into the Soviet Air Force in 1968. It is now produced by Russia. In addition to ...

(with flags) *

Antonov An-124 The Antonov An-124 Ruslan (; russian: Антонов Ан-124 Руслан, , Ruslan; NATO reporting name: Condor) is a large, strategic airlift, four-engined aircraft that was designed in the 1980s by the Antonov design bureau in the Ukrain ...

and 2

Sukhoi Su-27 The Sukhoi Su-27 (russian: Сухой Су-27; NATO reporting name: Flanker) is a Soviet-origin twin-engine supermaneuverable fighter aircraft designed by Sukhoi. It was intended as a direct competitor for the large US fourth-generation je ...

Tupolev Tu-160 The Tupolev Tu-160 (russian: Туполев Ту-160 Белый лебедь, translit=Belyj Lebeď, translation=White Swan; NATO reporting name: Blackjack) is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing heavy strategic bomber designed by the Tupolev Des ...

and 2 Mikoyan MiG-31 *

Tupolev Tu-95 The Tupolev Tu-95 (russian: Туполев Ту-95; NATO reporting name: "Bear") is a large, four-engine turboprop-powered strategic bomber and missile platform. First flown in 1952, the Tu-95 entered service with the Long-Range Aviation of the ...

Ilyushin Il-78 The Ilyushin Il-78 (russian: Илью́шин Ил-78; NATO reporting name Midas) is a Soviet/Russian four-engined aerial refueling tanker based on the Il-76 strategic airlifter. Design and development The Soviet Union's first dedicated t ...

and 2

Mikoyan MiG-29 The Mikoyan MiG-29 (russian: Микоян МиГ-29; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a twin-engine fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the MiG ...

(Il-78 and Tu-95 were imitating

aerial refueling Aerial refueling, also referred to as air refueling, in-flight refueling (IFR), air-to-air refueling (AAR), and tanking, is the process of transferring aviation fuel from one aircraft (the tanker) to another (the receiver) while both aircraft a ...

) *

Sukhoi Su-24 The Sukhoi Su-24 (NATO reporting name: Fencer) is a supersonic, all-weather attack aircraft developed in the Soviet Union. The aircraft has a variable-sweep wing, twin-engines and a side-by-side seating arrangement for its crew of two. It was ...

, Sukhoi Su-34, also imitating aerial refueling. The Su-34s came from the 4th Centre for Combat Employment and Retraining of Personnel at Lipetsk air base. * 3

Tupolev Tu-22M The Tupolev Tu-22M (russian: Туполев Ту-22М; NATO reporting name: Backfire) is a supersonic, variable-sweep wing, long-range strategic and maritime strike bomber developed by the Tupolev Design Bureau in the 1960s. According to some ...

* 4

Sukhoi Su-25 The Sukhoi Su-25 ''Grach'' (russian: Грач ('' rook''); NATO reporting name: Frogfoot) is a subsonic, single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Sukhoi. It was designed to provide close air support for Sovi ...

* 5

and 4

( Russian Knights and Strizhi)

Music

; Inspection and Address * ''

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 Tankmen'' (Встречный Марш Танкистов) by Semyon Tchernetsky * ''Slow March to Carry the War Flag'' (Встречный Марш для выноса Боевого Знамени) by Dmitriy Valentinovich Kadeyev * ''Slow March of the Guards of the Navy'' (Гвардейский Встречный Марш Военно-Морского Флота) by Nikolai Pavlocich Ivanov-Radkevich * ''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'' (Встречный Марш) by Evgeny Aksyonov * ''Glory'' (Славься) by Mikhail Glinka * Parade Fanfare ''All Listen!'' (Парадная Фанфара "Слушайте все!") by Andrei Golovin * ''

State Anthem of the Russian Federation The "State Anthem of the Russian Federation" is the national anthem of Russia. It uses the same melody as the "State Anthem of the Soviet Union", composed by Alexander Alexandrov, and new lyrics by Sergey Mikhalkov, who had collaborated with ...

'' (Государственный Гимн Российской Федерации) by Alexander Alexandrov * Signal ''Retreat'' (Сигнал "Отбой") ; Infantry Column * ''General Miloradovich'' (Марш "Генерал Милорадович") by Valery Khalilov * '' Farewell of Slavianka'' (Прощание Славянки) by Vasiliy Agapkin * ''To Serve Russia'' (Служить России) by Eduard Cemyonovich Khanok * ''Lefort's March'' (Лефортовский Марш) by Valery Khalilov * ''Artillery March'' (Марш Артиллеристов) by Tikhon Khrennikov * ''Combat March'' (Строевой Марш) by Dmitry Illarionovich Pertsev * ''

Air March The "Aviators March" (russian: Авиамарш) also known as the "March of the Pilots" () is a Soviet military march published in the spring of 1923 that currently serves as the organizational anthem of the Russian Aerospace Forces. It formerly ...

'' (Авиамарш) by Yuliy Abramovich Khait * ''In Defense of the Homeland'' (В защиту Родины) by Viktor Sergeyevich Runov * ''March of the Cosmonauts/Friends, I believe'' (Марш Космонавтов /Я верю, друзья) by Oskar Borisovich Feltsman * March ''Kant'' (Марш "Кант") by Valery Khalilov * ''On Guard for the Peace'' (На страже Мира) by Boris Alexandrovich Diev * ''We Need One Victory'' (Нам Нужна Одна Победа) by Bulat Shalvovich Okudzhava * March ''Hero'' (Марш "Герой") * ''We are the Army of the People'' (Мы Армия Народа) by Georgy Viktorovich Mavsesya * ''Crew is One Family'' (Экипаж - одна семья) by Viktor Vasilyevich Pleshak * ''

On the Road ''On the Road'' is a 1957 novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States. It is considered a defining work of the postwar Beat and Counterculture generations, with its protagonis ...

'' (В Путь) by Vasily Pavlovich Solovyov-Sedoy * '' Victory Day'' (День Победы) by David Fyodorovich Tukhmanov ; Mobile Column * ''General Miloradovich'' (Марш "Генерал Милорадович") by Valery Khalilov * ''Triumph of the Winners'' (Триумф Победителей) * " Katyusha" () by Matvey Blanter * March ''Victory'' (Марш «Победа») by Albert Mikhailovich Arutyunov * ''Ballad of a Soldier'' (Баллада о Солдате) by Vasily Pavlovich Solovyov-Sedoy ; Flypast Column * ''

'' (Авиамарш) by Yuliy Abramovich Khait * March ''Airplanes – First of all'' (Марш "Первым делом самолёты") by Vasili-Solovyov-Sedoi * ''Air March'' (Авиамарш) by Yuliy Abramovich Khait ; Conclusion * '' Long Live our State'' (Да здравствует наша держава) by Boris Alexandrov * '' Song of the Russian Army'' (Песня о Российской Армии) by Alexander Alexandrov

Criticism

The parade has been criticized for returning to the

-like display of weapons. Upon receiving personal criticism,

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is ...

Vladimir Putin Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...

stated the following: "This is not saber-rattling. We do not threaten anyone and are not going to do this, we do not impose anything on anyone". The military also allocated more than 1.3 billion

ruble The ruble (American English) or rouble (Commonwealth English) (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is the currency unit of Belarus and Russia. Historically, it was the currency of the Russian Empire and of the Soviet Union. , currencies named ''rub ...

s to the parade, many of which included the stones and asphalt concrete pavement for the mobile column, which came under criticism by opposition sources as well.Московские дороги после парада отремонтируют за миллиард рублей
— Auto.lenta.ru, 06.05.2008

References

External links

{{Moscow Victory Parade, state=expanded Moscow Victory Day Parades

Moscow Victory Day Parade The Moscow Victory Day Parade ( rus, Парад Победы в Москве, r= Parad Pobedy v Moskve) 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 ...

Articles containing video clips 2008 in military history 2008 in Moscow May 2008 events in Russia