MOSCOW. May 7 (Interfax-AVN) - A general rehearsal of the Parade in honor of the 69th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War will be held in Moscow on Wednesday. It will involve over 11,000 servicemen, including 1,000 musicians, and over 200 units of combat equipment.
"The rehearsal will begin at 10:00 a.m. Moscow time. It's a full analogue of the Victory Parade that will be held in the Red Square in Moscow on May 9," the press service and information department of the Russian defense Ministry told Interfax-AVN.
The military parade will involve over 11,000 servicemen from all branches and arms of the Russian Armed Forces and parade units of other defense and security agencies. The mechanized column will involve some 1500 units of weapons and military equipment. The aviation component is represented by 69 aircraft. The parade will be received by Russian Defense Minister General Sergei Shoigu and will be commanded by Colonel-General Oleg Salyukov, commander-in-chief of the Ground Forces.
It will be the 140th military parade held in the Red Square. It will be traditionally opened by drummers from the Moscow Military Musical School, whose students opened the legendary 1945 Victory Parade.