Putin defiant at Victory Day parade

MOSCOW - Agence France-Presse

Russian tanks roll through Moscow during the Victory Day parade at the Red Square. AFP photo

Newly-inaugurated Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday presided over an annual display of military power as thousands of troops marched across Red Square to mark Russia’s victory in World War II.

Two days after Putin’s swearing-in, over 14,000 servicemen paraded across the famous cobbles accompanied by nuclear-capable missiles to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. Putin watched from the stands alongside his new Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who had been confirmed in his post just the day earlier to cement a job swap scheme first announced in September. “Sixty-seven years ago Nazism was crushed, a terrible and cynical force,” Putin said in a speech from a tribune beside the Lenin Mausoleum. “Russia consistently carries out a politics of strengthening security in the world and we have a great moral right to stand up for our positions in a principled and determined way,” he said.