The 1995 Moscow Victory Day Parades () were two military parades held on 9 May 1995 to commemorate the historic 50th anniversary golden jubilee of the capitulation of Nazi Germany to the Soviet Union in 1945. The parades marked the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War. These were the first post-Soviet military parades held in Russia the first one being in held for veterans on Red Square at 8:00 in the morning followed by another parade of infantry and military equipment at Poklonnaya Hill at 3:00 in the afternoon.
Poklonnaya Hill Parade
The Poklonnaya Parade was the first parade in the post-Soviet era and the only one in the Yeltsin era to feature military hardware, which would not be displayed again until 2008.
The parade was observed by Russian leaders and foreign dignitaries from a provisional facade. Major political figures attending were President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin, First Lady Naina Yeltsina, and Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. The parade was inspected by Minister of Defence General of the Army Pavel Grachev, who later made the keynote address (the last time that the Minister of Defense made such an address on a national parade) and commanded by Moscow Military District Commander Colonel General Leonid Kuznetsov. It was on that very parade where Russian soldiers paraded with new post-Soviet military uniforms. It was the first time since 1957 that aviation took part in the parade.
Among the new additions that debuted were the BMP-3, BMD-3, S-300 missile system, BM-30 Smerch and the 2S19 Msta SPG.
Full order of the parade in the Poklonnaya Hill complex
Military bands
- Massed Military Bands of the Moscow Military District
Ground column
Red Square Parade
The Red Square Parade was another parade held in post-Soviet and in the Yeltsin era but did not feature military hardware, which would not be displayed again until 2008. This parade would feature all surviving veterans from all fronts marching past Red Square. The parade was observed by Russian leaders from Lenin's Mausoleum and more than 50 world leaders, most notably United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, European Commission President Jacques Santer, United States president Bill Clinton, Canadian prime minister Jean Chretien, British prime minister John Major, Chinese leader Jiang Zemin, Azerbaijani president Heydar Aliyev and Uzbek president Islam Karimov. Major political figures attending were President of the Russian Federation Boris Yeltsin and Prime Minister Viktor Chernomyrdin. The parade was inspected by retired Marshal of the Soviet Union Viktor Kulikov and commanded by retired General of the Army Vladimir Govorov. In this parade, Russian president Boris Yeltsin delivered his first Victory Day address. This parade was also the only to feature and show the Iberian Gate and Chapel under construction on Red Square, which was later finished the following year. Among the notable veteran participants was pilot Stepan Borozenets.
Full order of the parade on Red Square
Military bands
- Massed Military Bands of the Moscow Military District
Ground column
Dignitaries in attendance
In March 1995, White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry announced a state visit by President Bill Clinton to Russia on 9 and 10 May to attend the celebrations as well as another visit to Ukraine on 11 May. One of the largest gathering of world leaders in Russian history, the 1995 parade was attended by a total of 56 foreign heads of state and government, along with 6 multilateral leaders.
- Boutros Boutros-Ghali, the secretary general of the United Nations
- Javier Solana, the secretary general of NATO
- Ivan Korotchenya, the secretary general of CIS
- Cornelio Sommaruga, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross
- Federico Mayor Zaragoza, the Director General of UNESCO
- Jacques Santer, the president of the European Commission
- Tomiichi Murayama, the prime minister of Japan
- Yitzhak Rabin, the prime minister of Israel
- Jean Chretien, the prime minister of Canada
- Hosni Mubarak, the president of Egypt
- Bill Clinton, the president of the United States of America and First Lady Hillary Clinton
- Jiang Zemin, the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party and President of China
- John Major, the prime minister of the United Kingdom
- François Mitterrand, the president of France
- Marc Forne Molne, the prime minister of Andorra
- Helmut Kohl, the Federal Chancellor of Germany
- Manfred Gerlach, the former president of East Germany
- Jean-Claude Juncker, the prime minister of Luxembourg
- Poul Nyrup Rasmussen, the prime minister of Denmark
- Gro Harlem Brundtland, the prime minister of Norway
- Jozsef Antall, the prime minister of Hungary
- Felipe González, the prime minister of Spain
- Mario Soares, the president of Portugal
- Ingvar Carlsson, the prime minister of Sweden
- Vigdis Finnbogadottir, the president of Iceland
- Mary Robinson, the president of Ireland
- Massimo DâÂÂAlema, the prime minister of Italy
- Wim Kok, the prime minister of the Netherlands
- Thomas Klestil, the president of Austria
- Pascal Couchepin, the chancellor of Switzerland
- Zhelyu Zhelev, the president of Bulgaria
- Edward Fenech Adami, the prime minister of Malta
- Glafcos Klerides, the president of Cyprus
- Ion Iliescu, the president of Romania
- Punsalmaagiin Ochirbat, the president of Mongolia
- Konstantinos Stephanopoulos, the president of Greece
- Martti Ahtisaari, the president of Finland
- Jean-Luc Dehaene, the prime minister of Belgium
- Tansu ÃÂiller, the prime minister of Turkey
- Rainier III, the Sovereign Prince of Monaco
- Michael Ritter, the deputy prime minister of Liechtenstein
- Zoran LiliÃÂ, the president of Yugoslavia
- Franjo Tudman, the president of Croatia
- Kiro Gligorov, the president of Macedonia
- Alija IzetbegoviÃÂ, the president of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Radovan KaradÃ
¾iÃÂ, the president of Republika Srpska
- Milan KuÃÂan, the president of Slovenia
- Michal KováÃÂ, the president of Slovakia
- Václav Havel, the president of the Czech Republic
- Aleksander KwaÃ
Âniewski, Leader of the Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland
- Leonid Kuchma, the president of Ukraine
- Heydar Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan
- Levon Ter-Petrosyan, the president of Armenia
- Sali Berisha, the president of Albania
- Eduard Shevardnadze, the president of Georgia
- Nursultan Nazarbayev, the president of Kazakhstan
- Askar Akayev, the president of Kyrgyzstan
- Mircea Snegur, the president of Moldova
- Saparmurat Niyazov, the president of Turkmenistan
- Emomali Rahmon, the president of Tajikistan
- Islam Karimov, the president of Uzbekistan
- Rafic Hariri, the prime minister of Lebanon
- Lee Hong-koo, the prime minister of South Korea
- Pranab Mukherjee, the deputy prime minister of India
- Lê ÃÂức Anh, the president of Vietnam
- John Howard, the Leader of the Opposition of Australia
- Don McKinnon, the foreign minister of New Zealand
Also present were plenty of Foreign Diplomats and representatives of all Second World War veterans from the European and Mediterranean Theaters of Operations.
Music
Music for Red Square parade
Review and Address
- Jubilee Slow March "25 Years of the Red Army" (îñøûõùýÃÂù òÃÂÃÂÃÂõÃÂýÃÂù üðÃÂà"25 ûõààÃÂÃÂÃÂ) by Semeon Tchernetsky
- Slow March of the Officers Schools (ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂõÃÂýÃÂù ÃÂðÃÂàþÃÂøÃÂõÃÂÃÂúøÃÂ
ÃÂÃÂøûøÃÂ) by Semyon Tchernetsky)
- March of the Preobrazhensky Regiment (ÃÂðÃÂàÃÂÃÂõþñÃÂðöõýÃÂúþóþ ÃÂþûúð)
- Slow March of the Guards of the Navy (ÃÂòðÃÂôõùÃÂúøù ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂõÃÂýÃÂù ÃÂðÃÂàÃÂþõýýþ-ÃÂþÃÂÃÂúþóþ äûþÃÂð) by Nikolai Pavlocich Ivanov-Radkevich
- Glory (áûðòÃÂÃÂÃÂ) by Mikhail Glinka
- Parade Fanfare May 9 (ÃÂðÃÂðôýðàäðýÃÂðÃÂð âÂÂ9 ÃÂðÃÂâÂÂ) by Nikolai Camokhvalov
- State Anthem of the Russian Federation (Patriotic Song) â ÃÂþÃÂÃÂôðÃÂÃÂÃÂòõýýÃÂù ÃÂøüý àþÃÂÃÂøùÃÂúþù äõôõÃÂðÃÂøø (ÃÂðÃÂÃÂøþÃÂøÃÂõÃÂúðàÃÂõÃÂýÃÂ) by Mikhail Glinka
- Fanfare
Veteran and Infantry Column
- We are the Army of the People (ÃÂàÃÂÃÂüøàÃÂðÃÂþôð) by Georgy Viktorovich Mavsesyan
- Sacred War (áòÃÂÃÂõýýðàòþùýð) by Alexander Alexanderov
- Farewell of Slavianka (ÃÂÃÂþÃÂðýøõ áûðòÃÂýúø) by Vasiliy Agapkin
- March Victory (ÃÂðÃÂàâÂÂÃÂþñõôðâÂÂ) by Albert Mikhailovich Arutyunov
- March from the theme of the song On an Unknown Hill (ÃÂðÃÂàýð ÃÂõüàÿõÃÂýø âÂÂÃÂð ñõ÷ÃÂüÃÂýýþù òÃÂÃÂþÃÂõâÂÂ)
- In the Dugout (à÷õüûÃÂýúõ) by Alexei Surkov
- We Need One Victory (ÃÂðü ÃÂÃÂöýð ÃÂôýð ÃÂþñõôð) by Bulat Shalvovich Okudzhava
- In Defense of the Homeland (à÷ðÃÂøÃÂààþôøýÃÂ) by Viktor Sergeyevich Runov
- On Guard for the Peace (ÃÂð ÃÂÃÂÃÂðöõ ÃÂøÃÂð) by Boris Alexanderovich Diev
- Combat March (áÃÂÃÂþõòþù ÃÂðÃÂÃÂ) by Dmitry Illarionovich Pertsev
- On the Road (ÃÂ ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ) by Vasily Pavlovich Solovyov-Sedoy
Conclusion
- Bow to those Great Years (ÃÂþúûþýøüÃÂàÃÂõûøúøü âõü ÃÂþôðü) by Iosif Kobzon
- 1812 Overture Finale (Soviet version) by Tchaikovsky
- Victory Day (ÃÂõýàÃÂþñõôÃÂ) by David Fyodorovich Tukhmanov
Music for Poklonnaya Hill parade
Review and Address
- Jubilee Slow March "25 Years of the Red Army" (îñøûõùýÃÂù òÃÂÃÂÃÂõÃÂýÃÂù üðÃÂà"25 ûõààÃÂÃÂÃÂ) by Semeon Tchernetsky
- Slow March of the Officers Schools (ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂõÃÂýÃÂù ÃÂðÃÂàþÃÂøÃÂõÃÂÃÂúøÃÂ
ÃÂÃÂøûøÃÂ) by Semyon Tchernetsky
- Slow March of the Tankmen (ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂõÃÂýÃÂù ÃÂðÃÂàâðýúøÃÂÃÂþò) by Semyon Tchernetsky
- Slow March of the Guards of the Navy (ÃÂòðÃÂôõùÃÂúøù ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂõÃÂýÃÂù ÃÂðÃÂàÃÂþõýýþ-ÃÂþÃÂÃÂúþóþ äûþÃÂð) by Nikolai Pavlocich Ivanov-Radkevich
- March of the Preobrazhensky Regiment (ÃÂðÃÂàÃÂÃÂõþñÃÂðöõýÃÂúþóþ ÃÂþûúð) by Unknown
- Slow March of the Officers Schools (ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂõÃÂýÃÂù ÃÂðÃÂàþÃÂøÃÂõÃÂÃÂúøÃÂ
ÃÂÃÂøûøÃÂ) by Semyon Tchernetsky
- Slow March of the Guards of the Navy (ÃÂòðÃÂôõùÃÂúøù ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂõÃÂýÃÂù ÃÂðÃÂàÃÂþõýýþ-ÃÂþÃÂÃÂúþóþ äûþÃÂð) by Nikolai Pavlocich Ivanov-Radkevich
- Slow March (ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂõÃÂýÃÂù ÃÂðÃÂÃÂ) by Dmitry Pertsev
- Slow March of the Red Army (ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂõÃÂýÃÂù ÃÂðÃÂàÃÂÃÂðÃÂýþù ÃÂÃÂüøø) by Semyon Tchernetsky
- Glory (áûðòÃÂÃÂÃÂ) by Mikhail Glinka
- Parade Fanfare May 9 (ÃÂðÃÂðôýðàäðýÃÂðÃÂð âÂÂ9 ÃÂðÃÂâÂÂ) by Nikolai Camokhvalov
- State Anthem of the Russian Federation (Patriotic Song) â ÃÂþÃÂÃÂôðÃÂÃÂÃÂòõýýÃÂù ÃÂøüý àþÃÂÃÂøùÃÂúþù äõôõÃÂðÃÂøø (ÃÂðÃÂÃÂøþÃÂøÃÂõÃÂúðàÃÂõÃÂýÃÂ) by Mikhail Glinka
- Fanfare
Infantry Column
- Victory Day (ÃÂõýàÃÂþñõôÃÂ) by David Fyodorovich Tukhmanov
- Farewell of Slavianka (ÃÂÃÂþÃÂðýøõ áûðòÃÂýúø) by Vasiliy Agapkin
- In Defense of the Homeland (à÷ðÃÂøÃÂààþôøýÃÂ) by Viktor Sergeyevich Runov
- On Guard for the Peace (ÃÂð ÃÂÃÂÃÂðöõ ÃÂøÃÂð) by Boris Alexanderovich Diev
- Combat March (áÃÂÃÂþõòþù ÃÂðÃÂÃÂ) by Dmitry Illarionovich Pertsev
- Air March (ÃÂòøðüðÃÂÃÂ) by Yuliy Abramovich Khait
- Leningrad (ÃÂõýøýóÃÂðô) by Viktor Sergeyeich Runov
- We are the Army of the People (ÃÂàÃÂÃÂüøàÃÂðÃÂþôð) by Georgy Viktorovich Mavsesyan
- Sports March (áÿþÃÂÃÂøòýÃÂù ÃÂðÃÂÃÂ) by Valentin Volkov
- On the Road (ÃÂ ÃÂÃÂÃÂÃÂ) by Vasily Pavlovich Solovyov-Sedoy
Air Column
- Air March (ÃÂòøðüðÃÂÃÂ) by Yuliy Abramovich Khait
- Legendary Sevastopol (ÃÂõóõýôðÃÂýÃÂù áõòðÃÂÃÂþÿþûÃÂ) by Bano Muradeli
Vehicle Column
- Victorious March (ÃÂþñõôýÃÂù ÃÂðÃÂÃÂ) by Nikolai Pavlocich Ivanov-Radkevich
- Salute to Moscow (áðûÃÂàÃÂþÃÂúòÃÂ) by Semyon Tchernetsky
- My Dear Capital/My Moscow (ÃÂþÃÂþóðàÃÂþàáÃÂþûøÃÂð/ÃÂþàÃÂþÃÂúòð) by Isaac Dunayevsky
References
External links
Watch parade scenes here: