ID :
360535
Tue, 03/17/2015 - 16:34
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Over 78,500 personnel, almost 2,000 armor pieces to participate in Russia’s V-Day parades

MOSCOW, March 17. /TASS/. Over 78,500 personnel and almost 2,000 pieces of military hardware will participate in Victory Day parades in Russia’s 28 cities, Defense Minister, Army General Sergei Shoigu said on Tuesday. "From March 25, the training of parade units will begin in troops. Military parades will be held in 28 cities and gun salutes will be fired," Shoigu said at a meeting of Russia’s Pobeda (Victory) organizing committee. Troops are expected to march with the involvement of military hardware in 40 Russian cities while ship parades will be held in five cities that are Russia’s main naval bases, the defense minister said. Aviation parades will be held in five Russian cities while Russia’s aircraft will also take part in parades in the capitals of Belarus and Kyrgyzstan. The Defense Ministry plans to involve over 78,500 troops in military parades across the country, about 1,900 pieces of military hardware and equipment, 238 aircraft and 51 battle ships, Shoigu said. "Military parades in Minsk, Bishkek and Yerevan will involve over a thousand servicemen, 74 pieces of modern armaments and military hardware, and also 16 aircraft and helicopters of the Russian Armed Forces," the Russian defense minister said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday twenty-six heads of state had already confirmed they would attend the celebrations in Moscow of the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. "The invitations were sent to 68 heads of state, as well as UN, Council of Europe, UNESCO and EU chiefs," he said. "As of yesterday, 26 heads of state confirmed their participation." Lavrov told a meeting of the Victory organizing committee that among them were Chinese, Indian, South African, Vietnamese, North Korean and Czech leaders, as well as heads of UNESCO and the Council of Europe. Read more

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