May 9th is a pretty big day in Russia. Celebrated as the day Russian forces defeated the impending German army in 1945, Victory Day is huge. Fortunately for Beth and I, we were able to find ourselves amidst the celebration.
Pardon the hastely made video and cheesy music. But I hope you enjoy it. We were able to see a parade of military vehicles down Tverskaya, as well as multiple Communist demonstrations. We were also able to catch some fireworks afterward. Our friend Andrea took us to a particularly good spot overlooking a portion of the city--we could see up to 6 different firework displays at once!
The crowd around the Tverskaya was enormous.
Before and during the beginning of the parade jets flew overhead.
Something happened mid-parade to stop the procession. It was about a 15 minute wait in which people tested the boundaries of the police and ventured closer and closer to the military vehicles.
We were two of those people.
After the parade, the protests and demonstrations began their march towards the Kremlin. Beth and I followed.
A picture on the side of a van. It pretty much summed up the purpose of the celebration.
One of the louder guys.
Veterans on Victory Day are received with flowers and gracious thank-yous.
After a long day we sit waiting for fireworks.
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