if you must know a lot of them who are still alive. what memories do they share with you about that time. as i told you my father took part in the. until. may nine hundred forty five and i sometimes ask this question what is the strongest memory of the past of the war. and he said the heaviest thing was the feeling when you lose your comrades and friends and when he says that i feel that he is having tears in his eyes. and that is the strongest feelings and also the feeling later and has that feeling i'm sure you know way i'm sure. and also hear. describe the situation when the war was over and how the first heard that the war is over he was somehow only a walkin in the middle of the night and there was a tremendous fire from the weapons all weapons started to fire

a mediately from all directions and suddenly somebody said the war is over. and they have fired all the ammunition said which they had. along with thankfully they were doing a lot of celebration and anger for these troops here these paratroopers these are airborne troops yes the. this is the representatives of the most powerful most dynamic and troops of russia is the most prestigious branch while young people love to join the airborne forces they're very proud of that they have tradition and to be an officer of the. forces is really a prestigious thing to see the president the prime minister there. peter

early on said something that you know in the west they don't want to recognize the fact that russia did a quite a huge hot whatever because of the cold. war no one wanted to give the soviets credit for winning the war which they did win the war ok i mean the war was essentially decided by the invasion of normandy and nine hundred forty right is that something that in america do they talk about rushes we have a sales manager saving private ryan that's a great idea don't talk about the heat and that really bothers russians a lot actually i met lots of western offices in the middle east and at a professional level everybody knows about the war history and the contributions about the main battles about the troops and forces which were destroyed by the soviet army. against the very much so they know the truth but on a political level it is hidden from the population and that's the reason all the

cold war maybe it's time to tell the truth well i think what we're doing now by showing these parades this celebration is going to be a contribution to was it to say we have to start you know say what history what of what the truth is and sometimes you know the western people are asking russia is all this talking about some threats from outside this is reality you try to imagine how america changed after this terrorist attack on the eleventh of september it's a different country and they lost about more than three thousand people we lost twenty seven million people and it's very natural that we are concerned with our security on a national level and every time well particularly since nato is expanded we have everybody we see someone is moving to our borders yes we do feel concerned about i think that's why the president was reiterating that whole thing we want to protect

our homeland although we want peace we want stability for generating and president always ability to empower so it comes from that twenty seven million people lost their lives to try. and to help stop the nazis from going any further than what they were in russia actually they carried the brunt of that was absolutely yeah absolutely actually the losses of the allied forces in the western front united states a little more than four hundred thousand. i think even well so get me bill but i think that you know the americans lost fewer people than the russians lost in. what about but. every human life is of value and of course it's a heavy loss for the nation but it's just giving these numbers just for comparison and the demographics that russia has had to deal with the demographics of this loss of men and women on the home front as well when you speak to other veterans about

that time of. what was it like in terms of family life in terms of just being in the country being in the country and being a part of that war did they feel that they were fighting for something that they feel that this is what they needed to do to protect their country to protect. to save everybody from the nazis what would say if needed. to describe i can tell you i read some of the letters which were written by my grandfather who was still alive and he was sending these letters to my grandmother who had three children at the time and it was a very hard life to live knowing your husband is struggling on the battlefield and every time he was he never mentioned stalin by the way in his letters he said we were fighting for our land for you for our family take care of the children and

i'll try to return safe and healthy. and they were really fighting for their families because you know let's see united states never. so on and many me and then on its own territory one eight hundred twelve but that was a long time you have that because in the music your lips is a very. light

assegais in this music that when this leads to the right now what does it with let the music up to the first celebration of what do they change it up to if we. coming up with new songs to commemorate this day to talk to a tradition and every musical to. a school at a specific regimen or a branch of military units. sold table for every ministry to visit with what is tradition of turning your head that returning

the head to the to the boss to the president because it seems really only the russians do this when they turn their head to say about the yes it's part of the military procedure when. the unit is passing by this senior commander and. the command sounds and everybody has to turn to the right hand or if there is a banner of the unit so they also have to turn in the position of attention. how many veterans are attending this year we're about number. one who unfortunately every year this now you are serious and less. traditional in this parade is for to see military hardware i think we'll be seeing that relatively soon yeah it will come and actually this is a special time for the russian army because a lot of funds have been invested to upgrade this equipment which was fairly

obsolete before because of the poor state of the economy in the one nine hundred ninety s. when. the military reform takes a long time it's not an easy thing to yes it does. it's a very comprehensive program because the military industrial congress of the soviet union was enormous even just to turn them light in their working shops will cost a fortune. but. i just want to remind our viewers who's just actually joined us what we're looking at right now this is the sixty eight said look race and all of the victory day here in the box but rests with and i'm joined by any of you have a death and peter lavelle let's talk about the history of what's happening today sixty eight yeah of this of the victory day give us

a little snippet of that history of why this is happening. as i told you the. first victory day parade. it took place in the summer of one nine hundred forty five where the nazi banners were. drawn and burnt at the basement of the mausoleum and after their twenty years there was no parade and it started in one thousand and sixty five i asked my father why twenty years and surprisingly he expressed such a thought that stalin was he didn't want to organize this parade every year he simply wanted the people to forget about those tremendous losses suffered by the nations and key felt responsible for that and that's the reason and that's the explanation of a veteran but after that in nineteen sixty five under cruise ships they started

to. resume this tradition and it had kind of a double meaning because they wanted to show the world their military hardware as well which is a bring the past which is what they've just started and see what i would agree with that ok so you're the expert on this what are what are we what are we looking at right out. pieces of equipment which came to the inventory of the russian army. vehicles they're called tigers used for field reconnaissance purposes and now they're coming to the troops. but this is new it's relatively absolutely known . as the russian humvee. yes they call it a type you're going to get all the credit because a tiger yes and they have even better capabilities they we have a shot of inside they with the driver yeah. the flags did does every military division have

a different flag or is that just completely. that flag that is healed it has it's own each unit has a flag if you lose the flag in the battle. are there any i know what i will say is the unit will be dissolved it's a law. and everybody knows it so now it makes sense when you see the battle scenes they always have the flag always have the flag area year holding that flag year making sure that everybody knows where the flag is and what is this absolute goal here these are personnel carrier is. to air eighty two they seem like some of the ones we usually see and i said well these are very nice we closed the air conditioned. but this is only if they are sold to africa at. all the little things you cannot get that the bucket we had some tanks now yeah these are the new battle tanks. t. eighty. canadian and what are they competitive in the world do you are actually

once i talked to one. indian and he said there are only two countries in the world who know how to build tanks russia and germany. germany still make it would they really go they'll still think they can make as a filmmaker damien against me yes wow that's impressive. so this is live by the way they have the rubberized drax not to destroy the coding of the red square and the asphalt specially rubberized pads said to there is going to say because usually you see them with the metal ties instead of my. rubber rightists that makes them and they don't destroy the asphalt on the city's milady's are self propelled howitzers by their ranges they can fire as long as forty kilometers they can fire conventional i've been covering this parade for years now

that some of the stuff is new i haven't seen it before yes but you know i would say that. the external shape of the military hardware is almost perfect and it's very hard to invent something new something what is important is what is fitted inside. it and i mean that with these are. these are the air defense installations a lot of people want those people will want those right now oh yeah. very as i told was that these guys they have a motto they say it's not that we don't fly we don't we don't let others fly. it makes sense to me have them and they want them this is again this is the famous c four hundred defense complex people want those as well this is.

a very interesting installation they can. lock on targets and detect targets at a distance of more than four hundred kilometers and they could. track more than two hundred targets at a time and they can destroy anything which flies wow. from the height of five meters to the height of a flight of a supersonic jet that's incredible yes it has no analogues in the world to patrick from the united states is capable to gauge the targeted the height of sixty metres and this will engage the target from the height of fire as this me. and this is another piece of defense equipment it's called yes. it could fire missiles and at the same time it has thirty millimeter guns. this is

for the protection of the army units on the battlefield it can fire also against the personnel. targets. it's. also a demonstration that russia is prepared for conflict as it certainly is i mean you just said early on that the military is spending quite a substantial amount on the defense equipment and as we can see now very impressive the new stuff that bullets we're going to do in russia has an arm or two yes yes of course we are part of that club and we are just selling the sick woman to the countries who would like to protect the air space. and we are doing this in line with all the international agreements no no byelection sphere. the same thing look at this. and these are also getting bigger ok anything goes wrong there. is a new pieces of equipment this is it. is kind of there when looking into something

like that out of interest against missile expansion well. well these are actually the size of high precision and they can fire at a distance. from. hundred to four hundred kilometers and they can carry both conventional and nuclear warheads in case of a future conflict so so far so good we're seeing a lot of defensive weapon way yet refer it when this is interesting as well well this is not a defensive weapon this was a good way so you know ok if you know a weapon of terror inside say ok these are internet and intercontinental ballistic missiles top or. they call it in the s s twenty five and they could be fired from the stationary ceo's and as you can see here it

is more bile missile system. they are smart enough to penetrate any existing and any future defense system. how do you transport all of these some of them it is very much like you just said missile defense systems how do you transport them into a city like moscow without causing anything to do with it anyway why did you stay so where do you put the what do you mean for the parade yes for the parade i see actually there are special concentration areas i would say it. does not interfere with the life of the city and normally it's done at night but of course the general rehearsal takes place in was the day before yesterday and. at that time the citizens are requested to stay. from their cars and to watch what's happening you know the army normally apologizes for that.

and looks like a veteran here with his grandson a great grandson yes. by the way my father is still alive and you have some stories to tell. for the ninth of may and he went to his native village to your roles to participate in the celebrations there and perhaps this is the first time that he returned to his native village after the war on the ninth of may or may. yeah he's eighty eighty seven now. start of a fly over here of the. helicopters this is. me eight helicopters also as i told you that it's very difficult to improve the frame of the. my. this is just it's in credits just.

uniformly have you had a for a beautiful for my friend and american officer here russia got a parade. that said again. we quit we quote from saying. let's talk about what we're seeing right now what are the these are the comment attack helicopters. he says come on fifty two. and they're also very advanced. fly and they have intricate avionics they couldn't gage both ground and air targets they could support the. actions of the land forces. and that's their purpose at the same time the old the also mounted on the. on the ships could these take out an american drone. yes. you know somebody could.

be. some kind of surveillance moving on this is a transport it's a transport plane to look like a transfer to me but it would yes i mean peter you would not to natives of russia and to be sitting here and with everybody watching how do you want to for most remotes today really spectacular the shots of a city in which to set the city they know the city really they really did the fact that there's been very less disruption in terms of traffic and all of that and for us to be able to witness this today is that michael rushing with. this is a fifty six early warning. aircraft.

when you just capable to get refueled in flight so he can fly. forever twenty four hours out there because at long distance i was and also we use stationed on the ground or you one of the lesser ones to be flying one of those actually i was four years slowing as a radio operator on board the military aircraft transport and also related to the marine reconnaissance. this is this is an see this is a lucian seventy six writes these are the. cargo planes used by the airborne troops for you know left how much was something like that cost the cost of a plane of that kind of plane that's not just any place i don't think sergei but it's priceless i. mean man could you not have

a smash. if you were going to jets to have here oh there we go that's what this is like synchronize fly military fly see close air i think these are so for these interceptors yes right listen to that. yeah they're flying that high to three hundred meters and their speed now is about five hundred fifty kilometers which is very very small speed for a fighter plane of that kind. need to slow down so we can see it ok it's a special favor it's an excellent place to do the crowd ok. he's he's very. i think it's impressive and it was very impressive you know women love of course i wasn't going to say anything about that but he has. but yes i'm sure the elements of the a force they like were kind of. short range bombers or yeah these are short

range bombers. or they were ok they were. we go. now just want to remind our viewers who have just joined us here on out and see that it's a day the russian people will never forget as the country marks sixty eight diaz says an historic victory succeeded by any noble sacrifice from soviet soldiers in bringing the nazis to their knees with outlets well watching that celebration along with. the suit for its fighters twenty seven. i think we will be also seeing the ira batiks teams of military aircraft in the

jersey uneek and this is the strategic bombers twenty two and three. the have the capacity of the variable john the two week swing we did knowledge as they say. there to point out to our viewers that precious spending a lot of money on the military right now a lot of reform new weaponry is coming online to dangerous world out there oh that's impressive light over red square that's how you do feel the simulate the refueling procedure and head you see the flying tanker and behind this is the two pulley and one sixty aircraft it also has a variable geometry wing to escape from it to cover a distance of six thousand kilometers without refueling. and this is kind of an old aircraft may be of the same age as the b.

fifty two in the united states which is still being used yes it is still used because. very reliable engines and. upgraded avionics it could be used both for reconnaissance purposes and also for. for for deterrence purposes in case of major conflict. yeah and this is their formation oh it's type aerobatics team that's not as late as it is going to just to look for it and made twenty nine aircraft. it's the only a romantic scoops in the world which is flying the minute heavy military equipment like this. will have now been all over the best of the best loft there will be participating this year this summer max two thousand and thirteen.

show in moscow and should cost which r t always covers. mail and then there we go that's what we've all been waiting right here on the line bombers their nickname is a group. of black bird blackbirds tigers. and they're firing the well there are multiple purpose there because they're doing something pretty amazing there we can see the colors of the russian flag russian flags. of the crowd like that one having been left out. and there's the shot to remember. it's like mr putin enjoyed it as well. should they like it's his parade to. show his he's

a coming isn't a bad initiave forces must. see one of the most favorite. the farewell slot the fellow that. is going to take the lead then. audiences less so than.

the. little king we have president putin seems to be leaving so to kate we spoke a little bit about to this the piece of music we were listening to is it from from the wall time. is it a new piece no no it was even true in the past from even the time just before the october revolution before nine hundred seventy it's really true and all and it's very very popular to have it's very beautiful. thank you very clearly so you just like people going to the general staff nice gentleman here or there in the.

military districts the top brass of this kind of brass. president vladimir putin just the shaking the hands. i think on for a good player a member of the great parade pete. ryder we're not going to cross a line where two red square to archie's andrew pharma andrew we've been watching that this is a spectacular parade what can you tell us from your end what it has been a privilege to be here you might you might also been able to tell from the pictures it has been boiling hope we've been blessed with blue skies throughout this parade and it's a victory by victory day parade it has been very successful as you just saw it started with the march of ten thousand soldiers in unison across this iconic setting we then had the great.