May 9th was observed as "Victory Day" in Russia and (to varying degrees) many former Eastern Bloc countries. Commemorating the defeat of Nazi Germany 64 years ago, in 1945, Victory Day is both a day of remembrance and recently, for the Russian government, an opportunity to revive the nation's armed forces and global clout. Upwards of 27 million Soviets, both military and civilian, lost their lives in World War II, between 1941 and 1945, and the impact of that conflict still reverberates strongly. Collected here are photos of the recent Victory Day Parade in Moscow, and several other observances in former Eastern Bloc countries.
It's too bad we can't parade our heavy armor down the main avenues of the US capitol. Nothing feeds the iron fist quite like a military parade.
The last photo is of unearthed Soviet Red Army identity capsules, Each capsule contains a slip of paper with the name of its bearer, like modern day dog tags.
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