Russian & Allied Troops Parade Kremlin on V Day

[tim 360]

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/05/09/russia.parade/index.html?hpt=C1

Who da thunk?



Heres some video too

[SANDRO43]

I think the most surprising aspect was the parade being attended by Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, the USSR's bitter enemy in WWII.

An amusing little detail: the Russian co-commentator, when troops wearing WWII uniforms were marching by, remarked that at the time many of them had been made in the USA and shipped over along with tanks and jeeps . 

[I/O]

I think the most surprising aspect was the parade being attended by Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, the USSR's bitter enemy in WWII.

Yes, I also was surprised (Not really sure why I should be but I was nevertheless). All in all, I think it a step forward to include others and I don't see a down side. May 9 is perhaps Russia's proudest day and rightfully so.

[SANDRO43]

All in all, I think it a step forward to include others and I don't see a down side.

I agree .

[tim 360]

Yes. It was good to see Merkel there and the Russian's put on a spectacular parade today and the first time the Allies were invited to participate.  Any amateur student of history understands the importance of May 9 for the Russians, yet even the youngest Russian soldiers in 1945 are near the their end. 

[Shadow]

Yesterday's celebrations was built up over the period of a month, and it was organised in all details. The whole day lived up to the celebrations, which contained far more than the parade itself.

Children were giving flowers to veterans telling them ' thank you'.
Numerous concerts and parties were around Moscow.
At 10:00 there was a 15 minutes fireworks display over the whole city, that would cover the budget deficit of Greece.

TV channels were showing the parades from other cities and movies about the war.

When watching the Russian movies, ranging from comedy to serious, the interesting part is that it was as is usual not about Russians good/Germans bad.
What was shown was the personal tragedies, and how people who could not kill in normal life transformed to trained soldiers and killing machines not because they wanted, but because they had to in order to live.

The awareness among the Russian population is big, and I hope they will continue this day as a day f respect to older people and veterans when the witnesses are gone.

As for Germany, throughout the day it was made clear that Germany and Germans were not the enemy. The enemy was the Hitler coalition of fascism, and that was beaten by the allied forces.