Sevastopol - President Vladimir Putin has arrived in Sevastopol to join the festivities marking the 69th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Sevastopol.
Putin will address the parade on Grafskaya Pier, lay flowers at the memorial for the heroic defenders of Sevastopol, meet with WWII veterans and watch a concert.
The naval and aviation parts of the parade will begin later on the day. Over 1,000 servicemen, 70 warplanes and helicopters, and more than ten warships of the Russian Black Sea Fleet will participate in the parade in Sevastopolskaya Harbor.
The flyover of the Strizhi (MiG-24) and Russian Knights (Su-27) aerobatics groups will be the most spectacular event in the air display.
The first Victory Day parade was held in Sevastopol on May 9, 1965 after Sevastopol was awarded the title of a hero city. It was subsequently held in anniversary years and, starting in 2000, annually with the participation of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and the Ukrainian Navy. Combat vehicles were displayed in the parade for the fist time in 2013.
This year’s parade is the first one to be held following Crimea’s and Sevastopol’s integration with Russia. The parade will proceed under the command of Maj. Gen. Alexander Ostrikov, the chief of the Black Sea Fleet’s Coastguard, and it will be inspected by Black Sea Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Alexander Vitko.
Crimea’s festive events will be held in Sevastopol, Kerch and Simferopol.
