Belarus Headlines 43

On July 3, Belarus marked the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Minsk from Nazi forces with a Soviet-style military parade and a rousing speech by President Lukashenka. Some 160 tanks, armoured vehicles and artillery pieces rolled through the centre of the Belarusian capital in a two-and-a-half hour parade that also included warplanes and soldiers in World War II-era uniforms. The parade was meant to honour the liberation of Minsk on July 3, 1944, which Belarus now commemorates with the annual Independence Day holiday. It is not that the celebrations happen with such fanfare every year. Last time Belarusians saw similar festivities with super jets and fireworks was 5 years ago. And nobody expected to have anything special this year. Among the Minsk authorities and military commanders, there were talks about giving up the idea of bringing any armoured vehicles to the event. However, in the end, Belarus has shown everything it could.

• Месца выхаду: Brussels
• Дата выхаду: 2009-07-14
• Copyright: © 2009 by Belarus Headlines
• Кнігазбор: Kamunikat.org