About 500 Russian children, aged between 4 and 10 years, dressed in military uniforms for a parade to celebrate 70 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. The parade, in the city of Rostov-on-Don, took place under the auspices of the commander of Russia's Southern Military District on May 14 -- a few days after an enormous show of military hardware by the Kremlin in Moscow on May 9, when Russia traditionally marks the victory.
Russia's 'Child Soldiers': Military Parade Features Kids In Uniform
![Children line up to greet the parade commander.](https://gdb.rferl.org/84fb3be8-1471-48da-9012-41670e017b93_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Children line up to greet the parade commander.
![Boys dressed in historical military uniforms salute the parade commander. They are wearing the St. George Ribbon, a symbol of the World War II victory that is also widely used by supporters of separatism in eastern Ukraine.](https://gdb.rferl.org/e5b554e4-e0fd-4df0-8ef4-22bedd719def_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Boys dressed in historical military uniforms salute the parade commander. They are wearing the St. George Ribbon, a symbol of the World War II victory that is also widely used by supporters of separatism in eastern Ukraine.
![These kids are in paratroopers' uniforms.](https://gdb.rferl.org/8c5b0de5-8fc5-4d3f-ac1f-8c5c9e013202_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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These kids are in paratroopers' uniforms.
![A performance by members of a youth military-patriotic club.](https://gdb.rferl.org/37bae5b8-aa9a-4c12-8d3b-19b8fa6ed279_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A performance by members of a youth military-patriotic club.
![](https://gdb.rferl.org/d04f9f3a-4f7c-4340-8cf2-bd1689e72363_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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![Women in military uniforms sing and dance at the parade.](https://gdb.rferl.org/582b7ba5-7637-4937-87ff-675230d6fe0f_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Women in military uniforms sing and dance at the parade.
![Tiny troops are on the march...](https://gdb.rferl.org/2195d6b2-1b8d-4bce-a27a-f4d2b7e34a3f_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Tiny troops are on the march...