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.[1][2][3][4] 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.

BMP-3 at the parade repetition.

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

Infantry Column

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.[5] 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 .[6]

Ground vehicles at the Parade
Topol at the parade rehearsal held on 5 May 2008.

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:[7]

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.[8]

Aircraft at the Parade

In order of presentation:[9]

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" (Катюша) 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

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".[10] 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.[11][12][13]

References
  1. ""Тополь-М" провезут по Красной площади 9 мая". Ведомости (in Russian). 15 January 2008. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  2. "История парадов на Красной площади 7 ноября. Досье". ТАСС. Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  3. "История парадов в Москве". vvprf.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 2020-07-22.
  4. Впервые с 1990 года на Параде Победы военная техника пройдет у стен Кремля. Новости. Первый канал (in Russian), retrieved 2020-07-22
  5. Moscow Times, "Medvedev Hints of New Georgia War", 12 May 2009 . Accessed 2009-05-14. Archived 2009-07-31.
  6. Рой Медведев (2015). Владимир Путин. Продолжение следует. М. ISBN 9785457006300.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. Moscow Victory Parade of 2008. Ground vehicles part. Archive of direct pickup
  8. "История военных парадов на Красной площади. Фильм 4". телеканал «Звезда». 2012. Archived from the original on 2016-06-10. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
  9. Moscow Victory Parade of 2008. Aircraft part. Archive of direct pickup
  10. Путин: Парад на Красной площади никому не угрожает // Правда.ru
  11. Парад на миллиард? // Известия. Ру
  12. Распоряжение правительства Москвы № 946-РП от 05.05.08 «О мерах по подготовке и проведению парада 9 мая»
  13. Московские дороги после парада отремонтируют за миллиард рублей — Auto.lenta.ru, 06.05.2008
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