The first evening rehearsal of Victory Day Parade involving 10,000 troops and 114 pieces of modern armament and military hardware took place in Moscow’s Red Square, TASS reports.
A total of 28 foot parade units were marching across Red Square, including servicemen of higher military educational institutions, Suvorov military schools and Nakhimov naval academies, cadet corps, and also troops of Russia’s Western Military District, the Emergencies Ministry, the National Guard and the Federal Security Service of Russia.
"A parade team of the all-Russian military and patriotic movement Yunarmiya (Young Army), and also servicemen of the 61st separate marine infantry brigade of the Northern Fleet’s coastal defense troops will march across Red Square for the first time today," the Defense Ministry said before the event.
A total of 28 foot parade units were marching across Red Square. / Photo: Sergei Kiselev / Moskva Agency
The Victory parade’s mechanized column comprised Msta-S sell-propelled howitzers and the newest Koalitsiya-SV systems, the Iskander tactical ballistic missile complex representing missile forces and artillery, Tigr and Taifun armored vehicles, BTR-82A armored personnel carriers, Buk-M2 and Tor-M2U air defense missile complexes, Pantsyr-S1 missile/gun systems, launchers of the advanced S-400 long-range antiaircraft missile systems and Yars ICBMs.
The mechanized column also included advanced types of the armor based on the Armata, Kurganets and Bumerang combat platforms.
The Tor-M2DT surface-to-air missile system. / Photo: Sergei Kiselev / Moskva Agency
"The most advanced examples of air defense systems in the cold (white-grey) Arctic color - the Tor-M2DT surface-to-air missile system and the Pantsyr-SA antiaircraft missile/gun complex, and also T-72B3 tanks passed through Red Square for the first time," the Defense Ministry said.
Russian troops will hold another night rehearsal on May 3 and a dress rehearsal of Victory Day Parade on May 7.