When Soviet troops marched through Moscow on November 7, 1941, they were marking the anniversary of the Bolshevik Revolution that swept communists into power and led to the creation of the Soviet Union.
Those troops didn't stop in Moscow, however. They continued on to meet Nazi troops, whose leading elements were closing in on the Soviet capital after invading in June that year.
The November 7 parade has continued in the decades since. Under Russian President Vladimir Putin, the occasion has been used to mark the Soviet triumph in World War II more so than the October 1917 uprising — part of what has been called the Kremlin's selective remembrance of Russia's 20th-century history.
The victory that began at Moscow was significant. Rodric Braithwaite, the UK's ambassador in Moscow between 1988 and 1992, has said the "first defeat of the German army came in the Battle of Moscow in 1941."
Moscow's mayor on Wednesday called the 1941 parade "a symbol of courage and faith" that led to "the first difficult step toward victory over the Nazis."
Below, you can see how Russia marked the occasion this year.
SEE ALSO: How Soviet troops taunted the Nazis during their final drive to Berlin in World War II
The 2018 reenactment included about 5,000 troops dressed in uniforms from the period. Vintage Soviet T-34 tanks and other World War II-era weapons were also on hand.
Source: The Associated Press
Despite the threat posed by Nazi aircraft, about 28,500 people took part in the 1941 parade, according to Russian state media, which said the parade that year "represented the Soviet Union's first ideological victory over Nazi Germany."
Source: Sputnik
The Nazi Wehrmacht had swept across western Russia after the invasion, called Operation Barbarossa, in late June 1941. By early October, German forces were within 200 miles of Moscow and had inflicted nearly 4 million Soviet casualties.
Source: The National Interest
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