2005 Moscow Victory Day Parade
Victory Day Parade in Moscow From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Victory Day Parade in Moscow From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2005 Moscow Victory Day Parade was a military parade which took place in Red Square in Moscow on 9 May 2005 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945.[1] The parade was inspected by the Minister of Defence Sergei Ivanov and it was commanded by Moscow Military District Commander General of the Army Ivan Efremov. Music was performed by the Massed Bands of the Moscow Garrison directed by Colonel Valery Khalilov on his 3rd national parade, the first to include 4 international marching bands. After the inspection of the troops, President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin gave his 6th-holiday address to the nation. More than 150 foreign dignitaries (included 50 heads of state) were presented. Among them were Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, UNESCO Director General Koichiro Matsuura, President of the United States George W. Bush, President of China Hu Jintao, Japanese Prime Minister Junichirō Koizumi, French President Jacques Chirac, Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schroeder, President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and President of Turkmenistan Saparmurat Niyazov. It was the largest parade in the history of Russia, and one of the largest in the world's history.
This was the last time veterans took part directly as participants. This time through, reenacting the motorized infantry of the original 1945 parade mobile column, many veterans of the fronts rode in the very trucks which carried infantry to the front lines of the war, arranged accordingly by the fronts they took part at war's end. Veterans from nations such as North Korea[2] and Turkmenistan[3] took part in the parade alongside their Russian counterparts.
Following the parade commander's car the parade marched past the saluting grandstand in the following order,
The music and marches were played by the Military Band of the Armed Forces of Russia under the direction of Colonel Valery Khalilov
The Victory Day parade drew many international statesman to the Russian capital in the days leading up to 9 May. According to the Russian government, top leaders from 56 countries were invited to join Putin in the 2005 parade.[4] In total, about 150 countries were represented at the parade.[citation needed] It was the largest gathering of world leaders in Russian history.[citation needed] The parade was the first one to be attended by world leaders since the 1995 parade (which attracts 57 countries).[citation needed]
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder brought with him a group of Wehrmacht veterans, whom Vladimir Putin personally approached after a military parade on Red Square. Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi also arrived with Italian veterans.
President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili, as well as two Presidents of Baltic nations, did not attend despite being invited. Saakashvili justified his refusal to attend by saying that "there was nothing much to celebrate in Moscow", instead hosting a ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Tbilisi, and hosting President Bush in the Georgian capital the following day.[39][40] Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus and Estonian President Arnold Rüütel jointly announced their non-participation in the parade on 7 March.[41] They were all represented by lower-level politicians. In addition to that, a number of ambassadors and war veterans were presented as private attendees. British Prime Minister Tony Blair was unable to attend due to an emergency engagement followed the 2005 United Kingdom general election.[42] Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was also invited, however instead chose to preside over the Victory Day Parade on Minsk's Victors Avenue.[43]
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