Russia Issues VE Day Warning against Military Adventures

A Russian tank drives on the Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow. Photo by armybase.us

A spectacular military parade took place in Moscow Saturday, commemorating the 64th anniversary of the Red Army's victory in World War II.

In the Russian Federation, Victory Day, marks the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in the war, also known as the Great Patriotic War.

Marching bands and 9,000 troops stepped across the Red Square, followed by a huge display of heavy weapons including ballistic missiles tanks, and warplanes.

Russian President and Commander in Chief, Dmitry Medvedev, and Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, saluted the parade.

Speaking in front of the thousands of troops, Medvedev once again issued a stern warning to any countries considering what he called "military adventures," declaring they would be met with the proper response.

Medvedev did not name any particular country, but the speech comes as tensions have flared up again due to Georgia hosting a May military exercise organized by NATO.

Russia's President said that the Soviet Union's defeat of German forces during World War II was a great lesson to all nations which was still relevant today.

The anniversary was also marked by military parades in cities and towns all across Russia.

Victory Day in Europe, (V-E Day or VE Day) was proclaimed on May 8, 1945, the date when the World War II Allies formally accepted the unconditional surrender of the armed forces of Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. On April 30th, Hitler committed suicide during the Battle of Berlin, and so the surrender of Germany was authorized by his replacement, President of Germany Karl Dönitz.

The surrender document was signed late in the evening on May 8, 1945 (May 9 by Moscow Time). The Soviet government announced the victory early on May 9, after the signing ceremony in Berlin.

During the Soviet Union's existence, the May 9 Victory Day was celebrated throughout the USSR and in the countries of the Eastern Bloc. It became an official Soviet holiday in 1965.

After the fall of the communism in Central and Eastern Europe, most former USSR countries, retained the celebration as a national holiday.

 

 

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