British troops march through Russia's Red Square for the first time during Victory Day parade

By Mail Foreign Service

The British troops are staying at the Moscow Military Academy as guests of the Russian Army


British soldiers marched on Red Square in Moscow for the first time today to mark the 65th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Seventy-six soldiers from 2 Company 1st Battalion Welsh Guards were representing the UK at the invitation of the Russian Government.

They marched alongside more than 10,500 Russian troops and others from the U.S. and France.


Seventy-six soldiers from 2 Company 1st Battalion Welsh Guards represented the UK during Victory Day celebrations in Moscow's Red Square today


The event - thought to be costing £26 million - also featured a 1,000-strong military band, 161 tanks and missiles and 127 aircraft.

The hour-long parade saw six types of defence equipment on show in a display of military prowess set to dominate the city's sky and roads.

Guardsman Ian Mundy said: 'There is a sense of pride to be in this massive parade on Red Square.

'It seems that everyone is interested in us as well and I'm proud to be a part of that.'

Lance Corporal John Sanigar added: 'It's a brilliant place to be at the moment for the Army and the Welsh Guards.'


Vintage Soviet-era T-34 tank rumble through the square


The Welsh Guards are staying at the Moscow Military Academy as guests of the Russian Army.

They were given a guided tour of the Kremlin, invited to concerts and took part in a cultural tour of the city via a boat trip up the Moscow River.

The Welsh Guards served in Afghanistan six months ago and lost its commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, during the tour.

Lt Col Thorneloe - the most senior British army officer to die in action since the Falklands conflict - was killed alongside Trooper Joshua Hammond by a roadside improvised explosive device.

'It was an emotional tour,' said Guardsman Thomas James, whose grandfathers both served in the Second World War.


U.S. military personnel were also among those to march


Polish troops make their way across the square, witnessed by crowds of thousands


Members of the French Army carry bayonets attached to their rifles


'This is the first time I've been on official parade in my tunic since we've been back. It's an honour to be here.'

Commanding Officer of the Welsh Guards, Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Antelme, said the parade was a 'surreal' experience.

'(It is) a historic moment for the Welsh Guards and the British Army, and, of course, for the Russian people,' he added.

Foreign leaders including President Hu Jintao of China and German Chancellor Angela Merkel also watched the celebrations.

But Russia's Communists, still the country's biggest opposition party, pledged to hold a protest march in central Moscow after the parade.

They will chant slogans against NATO forces for marching over a hallowed square which is also home to the embalmed body of their revolutionary hero, Vladimir Lenin.

'Foreign troops have never appeared on Red Square. It's a violation of tradition,' said Sergei Obukhov, a member of the party's Central Committee.

'The presence of foreign troops with weapons in their hands is...an unnecessary reminder that we lost the Cold War'.

Obama, unable to come to Moscow because of a scheduling clash, praised the invitation to NATO troops.


Russian President Dmitry Medvedev speaks before the start of a military parade in Red Square in Moscow today


Mr Medvedev, Chinese President Hu Jintao, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin watch the celebrations begin


Russian military personnel march through the famous square


'President Medvedev has shown remarkable leadership in honouring the sacrifices of those who came before us, and in speaking so candidly about the Soviet Union's suppression of elementary rights and freedoms,' he said in a statement.

Most Russians seem to back Medvedev's invitation to the NATO forces.

A poll by the independent Levada Centre last month showed that 55 percent viewed the presence of NATO troops at the parade as wholly or partly positive, with only 28 percent opposing it.

The result may reflect markedly better relations between Moscow and Washington since Obama's election and his 'reset' of relations. This has already brought a new treaty cutting nuclear weapons and a deal on helping supply NATO forces in Afghanistan.


Russian military aircraft add to the spectacle in the skies above Red Square


Russian Su-25 fighter jets fly over St. Basil's Cathedral


World War Two veterans salute as they watch troops march through Red Square


French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi cancelled their attendance at the last minute, citing the need to deal with the crisis surrounding the euro currency.

Continuing a tradition begun by Stalin, Soviet and then Russian troops have marched in Red Square every year on May 9 to mark the capitulation of Nazi forces in Berlin.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin revived two years ago a Soviet-era tradition of parading tanks, missiles and military vehicles across the square and flying helicopters, fighters and bombers low overhead.

While Medvedev greeted war veterans on Saturday, accompanied by Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovich and Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko, Putin hosted a special meeting and dinner at his country retreat outside Moscow for China's Hu.

The Kremlin, which is eager to shore up its influence and tighten ties two decades after the Soviet breakup, is using this year's parade to stress bonds among the former republics, many of whose leaders will attend.

Among the weaponry on show this year will be Russia's latest S-400 air defence system, which claims to be capable of shooting down up to six missiles or aircraft simultaneously at a distance of up to 400 km (250 miles).

China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates are said to be interested in buying the system.

Meanwhile Russian police are on alert for possible attacks ahead of the celebrations, following a car bomb explosion near a military base in the southern Dagestan region this morning.

Two people were killed in the blast, while another soldier has been killed in a separate blast in the city.


source :dailymail