2008 Moscow Victory Day Parade

2008 Moscow Victory Day Parade
The 2008 Moscow Victory Day Parade was held on Victory Day on the occasion of the 63rd anniversary of the Great Patriotic War ending in the defeat of Nazi Germany. This was the first time the Russian Federation opened its vehicle showcase since 1991, and the airshow since the Cold War. The parade was commanded by Army General Vladimir Bakin, Commander of the Moscow Military District, and reviewed by Anatoliy Serdyukov of the Russian Ministry of Defence. A speech was made by Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, 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 Bands in Attendance
Massed Military Bands led and conducted by Major General Valery Khalilov and composed of:
Headquarters Band of the Moscow Military District
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 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 Regiment and Color Guards
Colors Party composed of:
Flag of Russia
Victory Banner
Banner of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Combined Honor Guard Company of the Armed Forces
Historical units
Representative units of the Armed Forced, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Emergency Situations and Civil Defense, Federal Security Service as well as units of the Moscow Military District
Combined Arms Academy of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation
Peter the Great Military Academy of the Strategic Missile Forces
Military University of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation
Gagarin Air Force Academy
Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy
Civil Defense Academy of the Ministry of Emergency Situations 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
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 Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation "Felix Dzerzhinsky"
Baltic Naval Military Institute "Admiral Fyodor Ushakov"
336th Separate Bialystok Guards Naval Infantry Brigade of the Baltic Fleet
Nakhimov Naval School
Suvorov Military School
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. Unlike previous 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. 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 vehicles took part in the Red Square parade. In order of presentation:
Advanced guard flag group by three UAZ-469s
GAZ-2975
BTR-80
BMP-3
BMD-4
2S25 Sprut-SD
T-90
2S19 Msta
9K22 Tunguska
Tor Missile System
Buk-M1-2
BM-30 Smerch
S-300
Iskander M
RT-2PM Topol
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, and not from two as in previous parades.
Aircraft at the Parade
In order of presentation:
3 Mil Mi-8 (with flags)
Antonov An-124 and 2 Sukhoi Su-27
Tupolev Tu-160 and 2 Mikoyan MiG-31
Tupolev Tu-95, Ilyushin Il-78 and 2 Mikoyan MiG-29 (Il-78 and Tu-95 were imitating aerial refueling)
Ilyushin Il-78, Sukhoi Su-24, 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
4 Sukhoi Su-25
5 Sukhoi Su-27 and 4 Mikoyan MiG-29 (Russian Knights and Strizhi)
Music
Inspection and Address
March of the Preobrazhensky Regiment (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 (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 (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 (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
Air March (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 Cold War-like display of weapons. Upon receiving personal criticism, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin 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 rubles 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.
References
External links
Parade repetition photos
Aviation photos
Moscow Victory Day Parades
Moscow Victory Day Parade
Articles containing video clips
2008 in military history
2008 in Moscow
May 2008 events in Russia