Moscow | Leaders of 27 nations joined Russian President Vladimir Putin in celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

Addressing the Victory Day parade at the Red Square here, Putin underscored that the defeat of Nazi Germany was accomplished through the collective efforts of Allied Nations, and the opening of the second front by the Normandy landing of the Allied forces contributed to bringing the victory in the Great Patriotic War of the Soviet people closer.

“The complete defeat of Nazi Germany, militarist Japan, and their satellites across various regions of the world was achieved through the joint efforts of the Allied Nations. We will always remember that the opening of the Second Front in Europe, following the decisive battles on Soviet territory, helped bring victory closer,” he said.

The Victory Day celebrations in Moscow are being attended by leaders of 27 foreign states, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

India was represented by Minister of State for Defence Sanjay Seth, as due to ongoing Operation Sindoor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Defence Minister Rajnath Singh were unable to travel abroad.

The other leaders who attended the Victory Day parade include Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam To Lam, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Ethiopian President Taye Atske Selassie, and Guinea-Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo.

This year, the military parade on Moscow's Red Square involved over 11,000 troops, including 1,500 combatants of the special military operation and 183 WWII and advanced weapons systems.

Contingents from 13 countries, including China, Egypt, Mongolia, Myanmar, and Vietnam, also marched at the Red Square parade.

Several CIS countries, which were part of the Soviet Union, also sent their military contingents.

Battle-hardened units involved in Moscow's Special Military Operations in Ukraine also marched through Red Square.