Russia has held 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, had a longer running time.
Unconfirmed reports say President Vladimir Putin may visit a parade in the Crimean port of Sevastopol later.
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
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s interim authorities have discouraged public gatherings amid fears that pro-Russian activists might try to stoke violence.
“Roadblocks have been set up around our capital, where serious checks are being carried out, because we expect that provocative actions may occur on May 9,” said Ukraine’s acting President Olexander Turchynov.
A low-key wreath-laying ceremony is planned in Kiev.
Nazi Germany invaded the USSR – which included Ukraine – in June 1941 and advanced almost as far as Moscow before being driven back to Berlin in some of the fiercest fighting of the war.
Russia estimates that 26.6 million Soviet citizens were killed in the war, about 8.7 million of them members of the armed forces.
Referendums
Pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine say they will go ahead with independence referendums on Sunday, despite a call from President Putin to postpone them.
The decision was announced by separatist leaders in the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk on Thursday.
Activists remain in control of many official buildings across the south and east despite a military operation by Kiev to remove them. Dozens of people have been killed in the unrest.
Moscow insists it has a right to protect Ukraine’s Russian-speaking population against what it calls an undemocratic government in Kiev. However, Mr Putin had called for the referendums on autonomy to be postponed to create the conditions for dialogue.
Mr Putin also said he was removing troops massed along Russia’s border with Ukraine, but Nato says it has seen no sign of a withdrawal.
Ukraine is preparing for elections on 25 May following the ousting of pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych in February by pro-Western protesters.
Source: BBC