In a speech at the start of the military parade, Russian President Vladimir Putin used the occasion to warn that neo-Nazis and other nationalist extremists must not be tolerated in Russia.
"Those who are trying again to raise the defeated banners of Nazism -- who sow ethnic strife, extremism, and xenophobia -- are leading the world to a dead end, to senseless bloodshed and cruelty," Putin said. "For this reason, the defeat of fascism must be a lesson and a warning about the inevitability of vengeance."
In Chechnya, official events marked the second anniversary of the assassination of Moscow-backed President Akhmed-hadji Kadyrov, who was killed during a Victory Day celebration in 2004.
In Ukraine, President Viktor Yushchenko called for reconciliation between Ukrainian veterans of the Soviet Army and nationalist militias who at one point fought the Soviets during World War II.
(compiled from agency reports)
World War II: 60 Years On
A microsite devoted to RFE/RL's coverage of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in May 2005.
See also:
60 Years Later, Nagasaki Bomb Witness Is Finally Heard
For One Hiroshima Survivor, A Journey From Hate To Reconciliation
