Russia is marking Victory Day on Monday, May 9; 71 years ago, the German Instrument of Surrender was signed in a Berlin suburb. Moscow and other Russian cities will host military parades and festive events; flowers and wreaths will be laid to memorials in various parts of the world, and many countries will host the Immortal Regiment events. Russian President Vladimir Putin will in the morning attend the Victory Parade on Moscow's downtown Red Square. Putin will address Russian nationals. He will be accompanied by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, as well as representatives of the presidential administration and government. The parade, to start at 10:00 a.m. Moscow Time, will involve about 10,000 people. Then 135 items of military hardware will pass along the square. And then 71 aircraft and helicopters will fly above downtown Moscow. After the parade, Putin, jointly with veterans, will honor the memory of those fallen in World War II, laying wreaths to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Later, the Kremlin will host a solemn reception. The Immortal Regiment public event was first held in the Siberian city of Tomsk in 2012. In 2013, it was already held in 120 cities, and in 2014, in 500 cities and towns in seven countries. The action officially became all-Russian since 2015. The event is a demonstration during which people carry photographs of their relatives who participated in the Second World War. It is timed to the Victory Day and is held in Russia and other countries. This year, it will be held in hundreds of Russian inhabited localities and in over 50 other countries, including the United States, European countries, Ukraine. More than 12 million people are expected to take part in the event.
