Russian soldiers in World War II-style uniforms slogged through early winter slush on Tuesday to re-enact the Soviet Union’s defeat of Adolf Hitler’s armies in the Battle of Moscow near the Russian capital 63 years ago.
President Vladimir Putin joined elderly survivors of the World War II battle at the Alabino training range to watch the 90-minute commemoration.
The 2 500 soldiers and equipment created a chillingly detailed re-enactment, with soldiers in sheepskin coats and white camouflage, vintage rifles and artillery, and three dozen wartime T-34 tanks.
The Battle of Moscow was the first large-scale defeat inflicted on the German armies that had overrun Europe and then invaded the Soviet Union, reaching as far as the suburbs of the capital.
A Soviet counteroffensive launched on December 6 1941 pushed the Germans back 250km, freeing 60 towns from Nazi occupation. The battle was a turning point in the war and paved the way for the defeat of German forces at Stalingrad in 1942/43.
”We won the battle because we were stronger in spirit, and on account of the heroism of our people,” Putin said, according to the Itar-Tass news agency.
More military commemorations are expected next year as Russia prepares to mark the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in May 1945. — Sapa-AP