http://www.theage.com.au/world/foreign-uniforms-to-reign-on-moscows-military-parade-20100507-ujt4.html
Foreign uniforms to reign on Moscow's military parade ELLEN BARRY, MOSCOW May 8, 2010 RUSSIA is being treated to an extraordinary sight: foreign soldiers marching through the gate towards Moscow's great fortress, the Kremlin. American uniforms are striding through the heart of the city in preparation for the 65th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II, a date that carries an almost sacred meaning in Russia. Never before have active-duty American troops been invited to march in the Victory Day parade. Russian leaders have taken pains to explain to their countrymen that the Americans - along with contingents from Britain, France and Poland - were invited as representatives of the ''anti-Hitler coalition''. While more than half of Russians greeted the invitation with approval or enthusiasm, according to an April poll, the sentiment was not universal. In a country that still regards NATO as its primary security threat, 20 per cent of respondents said they disapproved and 8 per cent were dead set against it. Communist and nationalist leaders have latched on to it as a rallying cry, organising rallies on the theme ''No NATO boots on Red Square!'' More than 102,000 Russian soldiers will take part in parades across the country tomorrow. In Moscow, more than 10,500 military personnel will file across Red Square along with 161 fighting vehicles as 127 aircraft pass overhead. Russia will display new weapons at this year's parade, including the Pantsir-S1 and S-400 air-defence systems and the Topol-M intercontinental ballistic missile, Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said. Before then president Vladimir Putin's decision to revive parades of military hardware on Victory Day in 2008, the last such display took place on Red Square in 1990, when the Soviet Union celebrated the Bolshevik Revolution. NEW YORK TIMES, BLOOMBERG [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
