Belarus celebrates the end of the war with a large military parade despite Corona

Starting at: 8:47 p.m. The | Reading time: 2 minutes.

DThe former Belarus Republic of Belarus was the only country in the world to hold a major military parade to mark the 75th anniversary of Hitler’s victory over fascism, despite the crown pandemic. “The party is sacred to us,” said President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk on Saturday.

In his speech, he also addressed critics of the parade in times of the life-threatening corona virus. “We can’t help it,” he emphasized. Belarus owed it to the victims of World War II. “Everyone wanted to live, but they died so that we could live,” Lukashenko said.

“This is not a show of force, but a commemoration of heroic history,” emphasized the authoritarian head of state in parade uniform. Belarus was one of the countries most affected by Nazi rule. In the capital Minsk, thousands of soldiers without virus protection marched closely through the center, as shown by state television Belarus24.ru on the Internet.

Thousands of spectators watched the parade from the road

The famous Soviet T-34 from World War II also passed through the city, along with other heavy war equipment, including modern rockets. Helicopters and fighter jets flew in the sky. Veterans and their families decorated with World War II medals also sat on a festively decorated grandstand. Few wore mouth and nasal protection against the virus, which is also rampant in Belarus.

Thousands of spectators, including children and the elderly, watched the parade from the road in sunny weather and orchestral music. In addition to the joy of historical victory, there were tears of mourning for the victims. Massive holiday events were planned across the country, despite warnings from the World Health Organization (WHO) against the spread of the virus.

In general, life in the country between Poland and Russia, a member of the EU, basically continues as usual. Lukashenko has repeatedly referred to restrictions in other countries as scaremongers. Your country handles the care of the sick well. Belarus could not be shot down, he had emphasized.

May 9 is the most important holiday in Belarus, as well as in neighboring Russia. Lukashenko recalled the victims of all the former Soviet republics, including those of the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. Russian President Vladimir Putin has postponed his country’s largest military parade to a later date due to the threat of the virus. Moscow had criticized the Minsk parade as unreasonable these days.