Focus Interview 20150509 Russia： Victory Day Red Square Parade

Video screenshot

Video screenshot

Video screenshot

　　CCTV News (Focus Interview): Today is Russia’s "Victory Day of the Great Patriotic War". On may 8, 1945, fascist Germany signed an unconditional surrender in Berlin, announcing the official end of the anti-fascist war on the European battlefield; The surrender came into effect at 0: 00 on May 9, which also became the anniversary of the victory over German fascism. In 1995, the State Duma of the Russian Federation passed a decree stipulating that May 9th was a national holiday to be commemorated permanently. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War and the year of anniversary. For this reason, Russia held a grand celebration including a grand military parade.

　　More than 16,500 people, 194 weapons and equipment and 143 aircraft participated in the Red Square military parade on May 9. The military parade is divided into two parts: modern and historical. In the walking phalanx and the display of military equipment, the history part begins respectively. Soldiers wear Soviet military uniforms 70 years ago and hold flags of various armies and Red Army troops. In terms of weapons and equipment, the famous T-34 tanks and old military trucks in history were used as the opening ceremony, and the whole military parade lasted for about one hour.

　　Among these phalanxes, the veteran phalanx is the historical element of the celebration. Yujun Feng, an expert on Russian issues, said: "Its very important significance is to remember history, highlight the great role of the entire Soviet Union in the anti-fascist war at that time, and also remember the martyrs."

　　As a memorial site of the history of World War II, 70 years ago, it was also on the Red Square in Moscow. On June 24, 1945, the first military parade to commemorate the victory of the anti-fascist war was grandly staged, which kicked off the parade tradition on Victory Day. David Chaban, who was over 100 years old, attended the military parade in 1945. He described to reporters the most famous moment of the military parade in that year: at the end of the military parade, 200 Soviet soldiers walked past the reviewing platform with 200 Nazi army flags captured in the war upside down, and finally threw them at the feet of Lenin’s Mausoleum, symbolizing the collapse of the fascist world. This military parade greatly inspired the people of the former Soviet Union and greatly boosted their morale.

　　In addition to historical elements, the number of weapons and equipment displayed in this year’s Red Square military parade is 1.5 times that in 2014. Among them, a number of new modern weapons and a series of new equipment are mainly displayed, including the latest main battle tank-"Almata" T-14 tank, which debuted for the first time, showing a great improvement in its maneuverability, and a major attraction in the air is the flight performance and powerful combat capability demonstrated by the Su-35 aircraft.

　　This year’s Red Square military parade, the number of phalanxes is the highest in the past years. There are more than 40 Russian phalanxes, and for the first time, foreign phalanxes have been introduced: 10 phalanxes composed of more than 700 foreign soldiers from China, India, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Belarus and other ten countries, among which China has the largest phalanx with 102 people.

　　In order to commemorate the history that China and the Soviet Union fought side by side in the common fight against German fascism and Japanese militarism, China veterans and Chinese honor guards were invited to participate in the Russian Victory Day military parade for the first time. As a protocol, China’s honor guard has gone abroad to participate in major events in many countries, showing the new image of the China People’s Liberation Army in the process of safeguarding national security, regional security and world peace.

　　In the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union, many China people directly joined the Soviet army. On the afternoon of May 7th, Lu Baoping, an anti-Japanese veteran who had contributed to the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet Union, received a commemorative medal of "70th anniversary of the victory of the Great Patriotic War" issued by the Russian President at his home in Yichang, Hubei. Damdinov, First Secretary of the Russian Embassy in China, pinned the commemorative medal on Lao Lu’s chest and presented him with a painting by a Russian student.

　　It is understood that on July 7, 1942, Lu Baoping and more than 70 soldiers crossed the river to the Soviet Union to join the Northeast Anti-Japanese Coalition forces and fight against the Japanese aggressors. Damdinov said that the veterans did not flinch in the face of the war, but stood up and shared weal and woe with the Soviet Union. The Russian people will always remember these international friends who fought for peace. Among the honorees determined by Russia this time, there are 53 in China.

　　The Second World War was a world anti-fascist war. As the main battlefield in Asia, China suffered fascist aggression eight years before Europe and won more than 110 days later, which became a veritable starting point and end point of the world anti-fascist war, and also made great national sacrifices. It is conservatively estimated that in this 14-year-long anti-Japanese war, China’s soldiers and civilians suffered at least 35 million casualties and made great contributions to the world anti-fascist victory. On May 5th, the 70th anniversary of the victory of the anti-fascist war was held at United Nations Headquarters.

　　Liu Jieyi, Permanent Representative of China to the United Nations, said: "We emphasize that history is not about perpetuating hatred, but about arousing people’s yearning for and persistence in peace. Only by remembering the pain of war can we cherish the preciousness of peace. "

　　China and Russia were the main battlefields in Asia and Europe in the Second World War respectively, and both made great sacrifices and contributions to the final victory of the Second World War. This year, both China and Russia will hold a series of celebrations and commemorative activities for the 70th anniversary of the victory of the Second World War. This is to remember history and cherish the memory of martyrs; It is to oppose any attempt to deny and distort history and any act of beautifying fascists and militarists; It is to cherish and safeguard the hard-won peace with the people of other countries and create a bright future of peace and development for all mankind.