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03 July 2019, 22:13

Minsk hosts Independence Day army parade

MINSK, 3 July (BelTA) – The Independence Day parade of troops of the Minsk garrison began with a flyover of air force units. Spectators could see modern combat aircraft and helicopters of the Belarusian and Russian air forces in the sky above the capital city, BelTA has learned.

The aerial part of the parade featured Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters, An-26, Yak-130, IL-76, L-39 aircraft, Su-25 attack aircraft, and MiG-29 fighter jets. The Russian Air Force was represented by Ka-52 helicopters, Su-30 and Su-34 fighters, Tu-95 and Tu-160 bombers, and the supersonic aircraft Tu-22.

The aerial units were followed by 25 parade units on foot, including those representing the armies of China and Russia, banner groups from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Three units of female officers – two from the army and one from the Internal Affairs Ministry – took part in the parade for the first time ever. Only one parade unit was present during last year's parade.

Parade units bearing the Victory Banner, the State Flag of Belarus, and the USSR Flag passed in front of the stalls. They were followed by groups carrying standards of the fronts (army units), which liberated Belarus. Combat banners of Great Patriotic War partisan units were paraded for the first time ever. As of the launch of the Operation Bagration there were 148 partisan brigades and 53 independent partisan units in the country. The partisan banners were followed by a partisan parade unit, which symbolized the nationwide fight against the enemy.

The mechanized column of 25 parade units was traditionally headed by the legendary Soviet tank T-34 – a symbol of the Great Patriotic War. It is worth noting the parade featured primarily new or modernized military hardware: main battle tanks T-72, armored infantry vehicles BMP-2, armored fighting vehicles BTR-70MB1, BTR-80, and BTR-82A, armored vehicles Dragon and Cayman, the multiple-launch rocket systems Polonez, and other kinds of military hardware.

The parade of Minsk garrison units ended with a military drill performance of the guard of honor company of the Minsk military commandant office. A total of over 5,000 military personnel took part in the parade. The mechanized column also featured over 280 wheeled and tracked vehicles and about 50 aircraft and helicopters.

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