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Russia holds airborne rehearsal of Victory Day Parade over Moscow

The airborne part of the military parade will feature 77 aircraft to represent the number of years that have passed since the end of the Great Patriotic War

© Grigory Dukor/TASS

MOSCOW, May 4. /TASS/. Russian combat aircraft and helicopters practiced flying in parade formations in a rehearsal of the upcoming Victory Day Parade over Moscow’s Red Square, a TASS correspondent reported from the scene.

Russia will hold its traditional May 9 Victory Parade on Moscow’s Red Square to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War. The airborne part of the military parade on Red Square will feature 77 fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft to represent the number of years that have passed since the end of the Great Patriotic War.

During the rehearsal of the airborne part of the military parade, an Il-80 ‘doomsday’ strategic command post escorted by two MiG-29 fighters flew over Moscow. The flyover also included a Tu-95MS strategic missile-carrying bomber escorted by Su-35S fighters and a Tu-160 ‘White Swan’ strategic bomber flying alongside an Il-78 aerial refueling tanker.

Tu-22M3 long-range bombers, the latest MiG-31I and MiG-31BM and Su-57 fifth-generation fighters also flew over Moscow in a rehearsal of the airborne part of the military parade.

Eight MiG-29SMT jets flew over Moscow’s Red Square in a flight formation resembling the letter Z in support of Russian troops participating in the special military operation in Ukraine.

Nine planes of the Russkiye Vityazi (Russian Knights) and Strizhi (Swifts) aerobatic groups performed the ‘Kubinka Diamond’ stunt over the center of Moscow and six Su-25 ground attack aircraft released fumes in the colors of the Russian national tricolor flag.

Military parades on May 9 will take place in 28 Russian cities and involve about 65,000 personnel and more than 460 aircraft, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Wednesday.

"This year, the military parades will take place in 28 Russian cities," the defense chief said at a meeting with military commanders.

The military parades to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War "will involve almost 65,000 personnel, about 2,400 weapon systems and over 460 aircraft," Shoigu said.

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