Victory Day parade held in Minsk

About 3,000 military personnel and over 150 vehicles took part in the parade. As many as 36 aircraft and helicopters flew over the nation's capital.

There were many new and upgraded systems among the vehicles taking part in the parade. Nearly all of them were on wheels. The tracked ones were the battle tanks T-34-85 and T-72B3. It was the first time the multiple-launch rocket system Fleita and the robot complex Vistl had been demonstrated before the public.

The units on foot included parade units of specialized lyceums and military education institutions, the Military Academy, the Military Technology Department of the Belarusian National Technical University, the 120th Independent Guards Mechanized Brigade, and representatives of the State Border Committee of Belarus, the Emergencies Ministry, and the Internal Affairs Ministry. Female military personnel also marched along the avenue.

The mechanized column was led by a World War Two tank T-34-85. It was followed by modern battle tanks T-73B3, armored personnel carriers, the vehicles Bogatyr, Dragon, Cayman, Lis-PM, and other ones. Cutting-edge hardware was presented as part of the parade unit of the State Military Industrial Committee of Belarus.

The army parade ended with an exhibition drill of the combined guard of honor company. It was followed by a civilian episode, in which young Belarusians, who live in a time of peace and glorify heroic deeds of the Soviet people, took part. With marches and dancing flags of the same color as the Victory Banner and gold, of which medals and orders are made, the guys offered a tribute of respect to the heroic deeds of the grandfathers and great grandfathers. Young cadets of Emergencies Ministry education institutions carried a flag of the Republic of Belarus. They were followed by activists of the Belarusian national youth union BRSM, who carried a canvas with names of Heroes of the Soviet Union and holders of all ranks of the Order of Glory, names of Belarusian veterans of the Great Patriotic War. Those were the people who liberated the country 75 years ago.

A concert “To the Glory of the Common Victory!” will take place in Pobedy Square in the evening. The Belarus-initiated international campaign “To the Glory of the Common Victory!” was one of the brightest events in the course of preparations for the 75th anniversary of the Victory. All the districts of Belarus, hero cities of Russia and Ukraine, and foreign countries joined in the campaign.

Photo: BelTA