Interestingly, Russian-made Aurus luxury cars were for the first time used during the parade to transport Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, who inspected the event, and Oleg Salyukov, commander-in-chief of the Russian Ground Forces, who was in charge of the parade.
Aurus vehicles are part of the Kortezh project, which envisages the creation of luxury cars for top state officials. The cars, which are on a par with foreign analogues in terms of performance characteristics, are already used by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the country’s Federal Protective Service.
Undoubtedly, one of the parade’s highlights was Russia's T-14 Armata, the world's only post-war third-generation tank.
The T-14 features an unmanned, remote-controlled turret, while the crew is protected within an armoured capsule. The tank’s weapons include a 125-mm smooth-bore cannon and a 7.62-mm remote-controlled machine gun.
Also taking part in the parade were S-400 Triumf advanced Russian long-range surface-to-air missile systems and RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).
With a range of up to 600 kilometres and an effective intercept altitude of up to 27 kilometres, an S-400 unit can reportedly handle up to 72 missiles simultaneously, flying at 36 different aerial targets.
The RS-24 Yars is an upgraded version of the Topol-M ballistic missile, that can be fired both from a mobile launcher and silo. It carries ICBMs with multiple, independently targetable nuclear warheads and has a range of 11,000 km (6,800 miles).
President Putin’s Speech
In the run-up to the start of the parade, Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech, paying tribute to all those who gave their lives to defeat Nazi forces in the Second World War.
He warned against deliberate attempts by some countries to distort WWII events, stressing that “our sacred duty is to protect genuine heroes”.
“You live in different countries, but the feat that you accomplished together cannot be divided. We will always honour all of you and the victory, which was and remains the same for everyone”, Putin underscored. Separately, he pointed out that Russia is open to cooperation with those who are ready to fight extremism and terrorism.
Parade Debut
Some military units took part in the Moscow Victory Day parade for the first time in history: women serving in the armed forces from the Zhukov Air and Space Defence Academy as well as womens' cadets corps of the Russian Investigative Committee.
Also appearing for the first time in the event was a National Guards Forces unit from the Saratov Military Academy and cadets from the Moscow University of the Russian Interior Ministry.
