Thousands of soldiers and war veterans paraded across Red Square on Monday as leaders of 50 states joined celebrations marking the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of World War II.

　　In a keynote speech at the start of the parade, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated participants in the military parade on Victory Day and praised all those who fought for the victory and freedom and independence of other nations.

　　"I bow low before all veterans of the Great Patriotic War," said the Russian leader, describing Victory Day as "a day of victory of good over evil, freedom over tyranny."

　　"The most cruel and decisive events unfolded on the territory of the Soviet Union," said Putin.

　　"We know that the Soviet Union in those years lost tens of millions of its citizens."

　　The war shows that resorting to force to solve problems will result in tragedy in the world, so a peaceful order should be safeguarded based on security, justice and cultural exchanges, Putin said.

　　The world must never allow a repeat of the Cold War or a real war, Putin said.

　　A salute was fired and the national anthem of the Russian Federation was played before the parade started by drummers and teams carrying the national flag, the banner of victory and the banner of Russian armed forces.

　　About 7,000 soldiers in modern and WWII-era uniforms and with WWII-era weapons marched in tight formation, the slap of their boots echoing across the cobblestones of the Red Square. More than 2,500 veterans passed Red Square in 130 trucks, all replicas of the wartime Zis-5 model.

　　A host of world leaders, including Chinese President Hu Jintao,US President George W. Bush, French President Jacques Chirac, joined Putin and war veterans near the Lenin Mausoleum for the military parade that also featured Mig-29 and Su-27 fighter jets and Su-25 ground attack jets flying past over Red Square.

　　More than 1,500 silver-haired war veterans, with rows of medals on their chests, watched the parade in front of the GUM departmentstore, which had a huge victory banner draped across its long facade.

　　Following the parade, which ended with the famous Soviet army choir singing "Victory Day," Putin and other world leaders laid wreaths to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers on the periphery of Red Square.