Parade marks Russia's 64th Victory Day

MOSCOW, May 9 (UPI) -- Thousands of parading armed services members shared Moscow's Red Square with sophisticated weaponry Saturday to mark Victory Day, Russian officials said.

It was the country's 64th annual Victory Day parade, which observes the date of the final surrender of Nazi Germany to the U.S.S.R. in 1945, marking the end of World War II. Some 9,000 soldiers and sailors accompanied 103 tracked and wheeled military vehicles and 69 aircraft and helicopters in the parade, RIA Novosti reported.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev attended the parade, praising the country's war veterans and telling them he would produce "a peaceful future" for the country, telling the crowd, "Any aggression against our citizens will be met with an adequate response, and the future of Russia will be peaceful."

The parade began when honor guard servicemen paraded the flag of the Russian Federation and the Victory Flag in front of the parade lines, Itar-TASS reported.

Medvedev officially began the Victory Day observances Friday with the laying of a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider in Moscow, the news service said.