Moscow - Russia readied for a grandiose Red Square military parade Saturday to mark 70 years since the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, but Western leaders were going to stay away due to the Ukraine crisis.
New tanks, mammoth nuclear missile systems and some 16,000 troops were set to sweep past the Kremlin under the gaze of President Vladimir Putin in a defiant show of strength held in front of leaders from countries including China, Cuba, Zimbabwe and Venezuela.
Huge crowds of Russians were expected to flood into central Moscow to take in the largest such parade since the collapse of the Soviet Union from 10 am (0700 GMT) aimed at whipping up patriotic zeal and commemorating the country's vast war-time sacrifices.
But the Kremlin showcase is being overshadowed by the current crisis over Ukraine, which has seen ties between Russia and the West plunge to their lowest point since the Cold War over Moscow's seizure of Crimea and allegations Putin is fuelling a brutal separatist conflict.
United States President Barack Obama has snubbed the event, as have the leaders of Russia's other key World War II allies Britain and France, which is sending its foreign minister instead.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has ducked out of attending the parade but will fly to Moscow Sunday to lay a wreath at the grave of the Unknown Soldier and meet with Putin.
Instead, most prominent on the podium next to Putin will be United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon, Chinese leader Xi Jinping, and India's President Pranab Mukherjee.
Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Cuban supremo Raul Castro, Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe and South Africa's Jacob Zuma are also set to attend the event.
The list of attendees and absentees reflects the Kremlin's hunt for new allies in the face of tough Western sanctions over Ukraine -- although North Korea's reclusive leader Kim Jong-Un eventually decided to reject an invitation to show up.
AFP
