Pity they ****** more of their own people than the Nazis did but I think they're slowly getting there
Eyes front! Female police cadets among 20,000 on parade as Russia marks victory over the Nazis
In immaculate uniforms and with pride written across their faces, these police cadets were among 20,000 taking part across Russia to commemorate victory over the Nazis in World War Two.
The female cadets took part in the nation's Victory Day military parades on Dvortsovaya Square, St Petersburg, alongside similar displays on Moscow's Red Square.
Anna Chapman, the former Russian spy-turned-TV presenter, was one of the guests of honour at the annual parade.
In a sea of gold braid, green fatigues and gleaming medals, the 29-year-old, who had been a sleeper spy in the U.S. before being expelled, was relatively restrained in muted clothing - though the colour of her dress was a very appropriate khaki.
Proud: Female Russian police cadets march through Dvortsovaya Square, in St Petersburg, during the Victory Day parades
On parade: The women were part of 20,000 to take part in the commemoration of the end of World War Two
If she momentarily distracted some 20,000 troops from their ceremonial duties, Russia's massed servicemen soon snapped back to attention.
The parade is the centerpiece of Russia's most solemn secular holiday, both commemorating the Soviet Union's sacrifices in the war and asserting the potency of its modern military.
A total of 20,000 troops who strode in precision formation through the vast square outside the Kremlin were followed by more than 100 pieces of mobile military hardware, from armoured personnel carriers to lumbering Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile launchers.
*********: Russia's favourite femme fatale Anna Chapman was one of the guests at the event to mark the anniversary of victory over the Nazis in World War Two. The parade took place in Moscow's Red Square
It concluded with a squadron of helicopters carrying flags over the square but, unusually for recent years, did not include warplanes.
Although Russian armed ****** suffered from severe funding shortages and morale problems in the early years after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the parade put forth the image of a spit-and-polish and vigorous military, with an emphasis on discipline and precision.
The parade announcer even praised the 'maximal synchronisation' with which the cars carrying Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov and Moscow Military District commander Col.-Gen. Valery Gerasimov approached each other in the center of the square.
Medvedev told the crowd, which included many war veterans festooned with medals and ribbons, that restoring the military would continue.
'The state will continue to do everything to guarantee the dignity of military service, to actively upgrade the armed ****** so that the troops will have the most modern equipment,' Medvedev said.
Show of strength: Russian howitzers roll down Red Square with the history museum in the background
Still raw: Veteran Lyudmila Anosova, 85, cries as she tells stories (left) while a navy officer hugs one of his comrades
On parade: Servicemen take part in the event which celebrates victory over Germany in World War Two
'Today Russia firmly upholds the principles of peaceful cooperation, consistently advocates for a security system and contributes to the overall effort to maintain global stability in the world,' he said in the speech from a tribune set up in front of the Lenin Mausoleum.
The mausoleum, the focal point of the square, was hidden behind an elaborate scrim painted to mark the holiday, reflecting the symbolic delicacy of commemorating a victory achieved by the Soviet regime that is now largely discredited.
Some of the marching military units carried period flags bearing the Communist hammer-and-sickle emblem.
Heads of state: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev (left) and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at the Victory Day parade
Weapon of mass destruction: Russian Army Topol intercontinental ballistic missiles drive through the square as thousands watch
Bottoms up! Three veterans toast and down their ***** shots at the commemorations
Pomp and ceremony: Russian honour guards of the President's regiment carry flags to be presented during the event
Last year's Victory Day period was marked by repeated complaints from Medvedev and other officials that some countries denigrate the Soviet Union's contribution in WWII, in which some 26 million Soviets died, according to some estimates.
But Medvedev made no reference to the issue this year and made of a point of noting the efforts of the other Allies.
'Now, new generations are reinforcing the traditions of friendship and cooperation with those nations who together with us celebrate victory. And I sincerely congratulate the veterans of all countries,' he said.
But in neighboring Belarus, authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko used the day to lash out. 'Today we again see a policy of dictation and aggression by an array of countries and military blocs, interfering in the internal affairs of sovereign states, the dawn of international terrorism. These occurrences *********** call to mind associations with the period of the Great Patriotic War,' Lukashenko said, using the Russian and Soviet term for World War Two.
He did not denounce countries by name, but made clear the criticism included Western nations.
'We are seeing the leaders of well-known countries making the decision with insane, terrible ease to bomb peaceful cities, dooming thousands of women and ******** and the elderly and moreover calling themselves democratic states,' he said after laying a wreath at a war memorial in the capital Minsk.
Parade: There were around 20,000 servicemen taking part in the Red Square commemoration
Show of might: Guns are fired on the embankment of the Moskva river in front of the Kremlin wall (left) while military helicopters fly over Red Square
Salute: The event had a spectacular backdrop of golden domes and Moscow's grandiose buildings
Military hardware: Russian self-propelled artillery drive through Red Square
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I think Russia is heading in a better direction than us and the US, especially in terms of foreign military intervention and aggression, I guess they learnt their lesson in Afghanistan.I miss Russia.
Weren't us Brits supposed to be taking part in this as well (for the first time ever, because the Russian ogliarchy likes call me dave's ogliarchy)?
