Moscow, 9 May 2024 (dpa/MIA) — Russia plans to commemorate the Soviet Union's victory over Hitler's Germany in 1945 with its traditional military parade on Thursday, the third such parade since the beginning of the war in Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to justify the invasion of his neighbouring country in his speech on Red Square.

According to media reports, the 9,000 participants in the parade will include soldiers who have fought in Ukraine in recent months. An air show, which has been cancelled in the past two years, has also been announced.

As in previous years, Western heads of state and prime ministers will not be attending the parade and massive display of weaponry.

The heads of the ex-Soviet republics Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan as well as Cuba, Laos and Guinea-Bissau are expected to sit in the visitors' gallery next to Putin, the Kremlin has said.

In many Russian regions, World War II victory parades have been cancelled for security reasons. There will be no major celebrations in the Bryansk and Kursk regions, for example, which border on Ukraine and are repeatedly under fire.

The traditional "Immortal Regiment" march, in which people carry large photos of World War II veterans through the streets after the victory parade, has also been cancelled throughout Russia.