Russia Holds War Victory Day Parade!

Russia is holding an expanded Victory Day parade in Moscow, amid a surge of patriotism over Crimea's annexation.

The military is parading more hardware than usual and the display, which marks the Soviet victory in World War Two, will go on for longer.

Unconfirmed reports say President Vladimir Putin may visit a parade in the Crimean port of Sevastopol.

Festivities in Ukraine will be muted amid fears of provoking further violence in the south and east.
Moscow denies fomenting separatist unrest in Ukraine.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it would be a "pity" if Mr Putin were to "use" the commemorations to visit Crimea.

The BBC's Steve Rosenberg in Moscow says Russia has experienced a wave of patriotism following its annexation of the peninsula from Ukraine in March.

Mr Putin did not mention Ukraine in his speech, telling the crowd that the "iron will of the Soviet people" had saved Europe from slavery.

"It is a holiday when an overwhelming force of patriotism triumphs, when all of us feel particularly acutely what it means to be loyal to the Motherland and how important it is to defend its interests," he said.

The parade in Moscow traditionally features a display of military hardware and a show of patriotic fervour on Red Square.

The scope of this year's event was bigger than usual:

• The parade lasted 59 minutes, compared with its usual 45 minute running time
• Fifty more military vehicles were on display compared with last year
• The Sevastopol-based Black Sea Fleet played a larger role