Pro-Kremlin Youth Movement Marks Nazi Defeat

Nashi members dressed for the occasion (epa) December 17, 2006 -- About 70,000 members of a pro-Kremlin youth movement gathered in the Russian capital today to mark the anniversary of the Nazi defeat in the Battle of Moscow 60 years ago.

Dressed as Father Frost and the Snow Maiden, Nashi (Ours) activists rallied in downtown Moscow before heading out to distribute gifts to veterans.

The 1941 Battle of Moscow was the first large-scale defeat inflicted on invading German forces that had reached as far as the suburbs of Moscow. A Soviet counteroffensive was launched in early December 1941.

(AP)