The 2009 Moscow Victory Parade was held on Victory Day on the 64th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War, which ended in the defeat of Nazi Germany. The parade was commanded by Valery Gerasimov, commander of the Moscow Military District, and reviewed by Anatoliy Serdyukov of the Russian Ministry of Defence. A speech was made by the third president of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, in which he warned other countries against embarking on military adventures. This was thought to be a veiled warning directed at Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili.[1] The Defense Ministry noted that the air parade is a de facto dress rehearsal for the jubilee parade that followed in honor of the 65th anniversary of Victory.[2]
Note: Those indicated in bold indicate first parade appearance, those indicated with italic indicate double or multiple parade appearances.
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.[1]
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.
This was only the second time since the fall of the Soviet Union when armoured fighting vehicles took part in the Red Square parade.
Vehicles in the parade included:
