Putin attends slimmed down Victory Day celebrations

Putin attends slimmed down Victory Day celebrations

Russia marked 75 years since the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two on Saturday, but the coronavirus outbreak forced it to scale back celebrations.

Olivia Chan reports.

Russia marked 75 years since the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two on Saturday (May 9).

But the coronavirus outbreak forced it to scale back celebrations.

President Vladimir Putin last month postponed the military parade on Red Square to an unspecified date.

It is seen as the highlight of the Victory Day celebrations and a chance for Moscow to showcase its most sophisticated military hardware.

In the absence of the usual spectacle... ...75 military planes and helicopters, including Russia's most advanced warplanes, flew over central Moscow.

Clad in a black rain coat, Putin laid a bouquet of red roses at the Eternal Flame war memorial outside the Kremlin walls.

He pledged that Russia would hold its traditional Red Square parade and processions at a later date.