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Russia to fly 71 combat planes over Moscow on May 9 to mark Victory Day anniversary

The number of aircraft will symbolize the 71st anniversary of the [Soviet Union’s] victory in the Great Patriotic War

A combined parade unit of female service members from the Russian Defense Ministry’s Military University and the Volsky Military Logistics Institute (branch) of the Khrulev Logistical Support Military Academy will march in Red Square this year for the first time, the press office said.

Parade units of the foot column will also comprise officers, sergeants and soldiers of military formations, cadets of Suvorov and Nakhimov military schools, military institutes of the Defense Ministry and other security and law-enforcement agencies.

Overall, more than 10,000 troops are involved in training drills together with over 100 pieces of modern weaponry and military hardware that include Tigr (Tiger) armored vehicles, T-90 main battle tanks, BTR-82A armored personnel carriers, BMP-3 infantry fighting vehicles, Msta-S self-propelled howitzers, Buk-M2 antiaircraft missile systems, Pantsyr-S1 air defense missile/gun complexes, Yars missile systems and others.

The parade in Red Square will also demonstrate the advanced models of Russian military hardware, such as the Armata tank, the Kurganets IFV and APC and the Koalitsiya self-propelled artillery systems.

The troops’ night rehearsals of the military parade will be held directly in Red Square on April 28 and May 4 and their dress rehearsal will be held on May 7.

Russia’s 143rd military parade will involve more than 10,000 service members and over 100 pieces of military hardware and 71 aircraft. The military parade will be commanded by Commander-in-Chief of Russia’s Ground Forces Colonel-General Oleg Salyukov.