Russia Parades Its Might, With Soviet Echoes

Russia marked the 63rd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany today with a parade of Soviet-era of tanks, missile launchers, and columns of foot soldiers, the New York Times reports. President-turned-prime-minister Vladimir Putin and his successor, Dmitry Medvedev, looked on, surrounded by the contrast of communist ritual with symbols of modern Russia's cut-throat capitalism.

Though the parade—which included 8,000 troops, plus tanks and fighter-jet flyovers—was popular among the Russian people, the display sends "the wrong signal," European diplomats told Der Spiegel. Said Medvedev: “History of world wars warns that armed conflicts do not erupt on their own. They are fueled by those whose irresponsible ambitions overpower the interests of countries and whole continents, the interests of millions." (More Russia stories.)