Minsk’s 2025 Victory Day Parade: 80th Anniversary Spectacle with Expanded Historical Program

In the Belarusian capital, final preparations are underway for one of the most large-scale and spectacular events of the year — the military parade dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Soviet people’s Victory in the Great Patriotic War. In 2025, the organizers have prepared many surprises for spectators, including a change to the usual time of the event and an expanded historical segment of the procession.

Start time and main characteristics of the parade

As reported by Deputy Minister of Defense of Belarus, Major General Alexander Naumenko, at a press conference on May 6, the military parade in Minsk will begin at 20:30. This is significantly later than originally planned — state media initially announced the start of the event at 18:00. The reasons for the time change are not officially commented on. The jubilee parade consists of three main parts:

• air echelon
• foot column
• mechanized column

Composition of participants: international presence

Representatives from several countries will take part in this year’s parade, emphasizing the international nature and significance of the 80th anniversary celebration of the Great Victory. The foot column will include 33 parade contingents, of which 30 represent the power structures and agencies of the Republic of Belarus. Special attention is deserved by three foreign contingents:

• cadets of the Nizhny Novgorod Cadet Corps of the Volga Federal District named after V.F. Margelov
• cadets of the Mikhailovskaya Military Artillery Academy from Saint Petersburg
• honor guard of the People’s Liberation Army of China

In addition, the parade will include five color guard units from Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The total number of participants in the foot column will be 4,832 people, with an additional 431 in reserve.

Expanded historical segment of the parade

Major General Alexander Naumenko particularly emphasized that the main feature of the 2025 parade will be a significant expansion of its historical component both in the foot contingents and in the mechanized column. "The feature of this year’s parade is the increase of its historical part both in the foot contingents and in the mechanized column. We will see cavalrymen, a machine-gun-mounted tachanka, added parade contingents of officers with rifles and with Battle Banners — relics of the military units that participated in the Great Patriotic War," noted the Deputy Minister of Defense. The foot contingents will also include a combined parade contingent of engineers with dogs, medical workers, and traffic controllers, which will help recreate the atmosphere of wartime years and pay tribute to all who brought Victory closer.

Technical equipment and spectacle of the parade

The mechanized column, consisting of 26 parade contingents and 275 pieces of equipment, will be led by the legendary T-34 tanks. Spectators will also see motorcycles, the famous "Katyushas," vehicles with searchlights, and anti-aircraft installations representing air defense from the Great Patriotic War era. The air echelon will add special spectacle to the parade, comprising 39 aircraft:

• 12 helicopters
• 27 planes

Of these, 35 units will be presented by the Ministry of Defense of Belarus, and 4 aircraft by the "Russian Knights" aerobatic team flying Su-30SM fighters. During the aerial part of the parade, military aircraft will fly over the city with their strobe lights on.

Festive conclusion of Victory Day

After the parade, the Victory Day celebrations in Minsk will conclude with an impressive fireworks display beginning at 21:40. The salute will be launched from six city locations:

• "Belarus" Hotel (main site)
• Pavlov Park
• Hugo Chávez Park
• Drozdov Embankment
• "Chizhovka-Arena"
• National Library of Belarus

International aspect of the celebration

It is worth noting that on May 9, a military parade will also take place in Moscow, scheduled to start at 10:00 Minsk time. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko confirmed his attendance at the Moscow parade during a meeting with President of Russia Vladimir Putin on April 29. "Thank you once again for these bright days, for inviting us to the parade. We could not but come. You know that first we will go to Red Square, then we will hold the parade in Belarus," said Lukashenko. Thus, May 9, 2025, will become a momentous day when Belarus, together with all the countries honoring the memory of the Great Victory, will pay tribute to veterans and demonstrate the continuity of generations and fidelity to historical traditions.