Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on Thursday on the military parade that took place earlier in the day in Moscow to commemorate the 74th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, in which he took part in as well
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th May, 2019) Russian President Vladimir Putin commented on Thursday on the military parade that took place earlier in the day in Moscow to commemorate the 74th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, in which he took part in as well.
Putin joined over 13,000 people who participated in the Victory Day parade and marched in the Immortal Regiment, an initiative in which Russian soldiers who fought in the war are commemorated by their living family members who march with the combatants' portraits.
"The [Victory] parade happened, thankfully, without disruptions, as it should be. Unfortunately, the weather did not allow for our air forces to fly. I believe there needs to be at least 400 meters [1312 feet] of visibility and there was only 150 meters, so it did not work out. But in this case it is better to not risk it. The safety of the pilots and the people on the ground is the most important thing. But in all, the parade, in my opinion, was wonderful," Putin told Rossiya 24 broadcaster.
The Russian president also said that the victory in the war was a great triumph for the Russian people and that it would never be forgotten by Russia's citizens.
"Practically every family in our country has been touched by the tragedy of [World War II]. Every family has this and we will always remember this event," Putin said.
This was Putin's fifth time participating in the Immortal Regiment march, which was started in 2012 and now extends beyond Russian borders into other countries. In 2018, according to official data, just in Russia alone, over 10 million people marched in the initiative.
