Victory Day: Rajnath Singh In Russia; Here's Why It Is Celebrated & What Significance It Holds For India

The parade will go for almost 90 minutes and showcase the participation of military personnel from 19 countries, including India and China.

Tri-Service contingent of the Indian Armed Forces at the Victory Day Parade in Moscow

New Delhi: Amid tense Indo-China relations following martyrdom of 20 Indian soldiers at Galwav Valley, Defence minister Rajnath Singh in an attempt to strengthen ties with the Russian counterpart, attended the 75th anniversary of the Victory Day celebration in the Russian capital on Wednesday.  India's tri-services contingent also took part in the parade.  The celebration also saw the presence of  China's Defence Minister and military contingent. "Impressive turnout of the Tri-Service contingent of the Indian Armed Forces at the Victory Day Parade in Moscow is indeed an extremely proud and happy moment for me," Rajnath tweeted during the event. What is Victory Day? Victory Day is celebrated to mark the end of the Second World War. It goes back to 1945 during the end of World War II and the victory of the Allied Forces. It is when the Nazi leader Adolf Hitler had shot himself. On April 30, after Hitler had committed suicide after which German troops surrendered on May 7. It is May 9 which had formally come into effect as the Victory Day. Mostly European countries celebrate May 8 as victory during the Europe Day celebration. If May 9 is the Victory Day, but this year it has been postponed to June 24 because of the Covid-19 outbreak that killed lakhs of people globally. Previously, Russian President Vladimir Putin had invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Victory Day celebration which was scheduled to be held on May 9. However, the PM could not travel to Moscow, but expressed wishes to Putin on May 9 through a tweet. "India stands with Russia in solemn remembrance today, on the 75th Anniversary of Victory Day. Tens of thousands of Indian soldiers also made the supreme sacrifice in the Second World War. My warm greetings to President Putin and the Russian people on this occasion." What is the significance of the event for India? According to the Army, at the time of World War II, the British Indian armed forces were one of the largest Allied forces contingents, which took part in the North and East African Campaign, Western Desert Campaign and the European Theatre against the Axis powers.  Russia has remained one of the key strategic partners and it’s even to pay homage to the soldiers who fought the war Who is participating in the parade this year? The parade will go for almost 90 minutes and showcase the participation of military personnel from 19 countries, including India and China, as per the Indian Express report. The celebrations are expected to witness 64,000 participants. In Moscow, as many as 14,000 military personnel will march through Red Square. Also, 50,000 more troops would march through 27 other cities that have military units. Who all attended it in the past? However, in the past, the event was attended by prominent Indian leaders. During the 70th anniversary of the Victory Day in 2015, then President Pranab Mukherjee went to represent India. Manmohan Singh had also attended the 60th anniversary in 2005 as he was the then Prime Minister of India.