1965 Moscow Victory Day Parade

The Moscow Victory Day Parade of 1965 (Russian: Парад Победы, tr. Parad Pobedy) was held on 9 May 1965 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the capitulation of Nazi Germany in 1945. The parade marks the Soviet Union's victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Soviet defense Minister Marshal Rodion Malinovsky takes the salute during the military parade, 9 May 1965.

Prior to 1965 Victory Day was not a major holiday and parades were not held, with the exception of the 1945 Victory Day Parade.[1] The Victory Parade of 1965 was the second made after 1945 Victory Day Parade.[2] After this parade next would be held recently in 1985. It also coincided with the first Victory Day Parades to be held in Soviet cities all over the country, with parades being held for the first time in cities such as Vladivostok and Kishinev.[3]

The parade was observed by Soviet leaders from Lenin´s Mausoleum. Major political figures attending were General Secretary of the Communist Party Leonid Brezhnev, Chairman of the Council of Ministers Alexei Kosygin, and Minister of Defence Marshal Rodion Malinovsky among others. The parade was commanded by Moscow Military District Commander General of the Army Afanasy Beloborodov. It was on that very parade that Mikhail Yegorov and Meliton Kantaria, the then two surviving raisers of the Victory Banner, escorted it as the color party of the banner marched past the dignitaries on Red Square with retired Col. Konstantin Samsonov carrying the banner.

On this parade what is now the 1st Honor Guard Company of the 154th Preobrazhensky Independent Commandant's Regiment made its parade debut. Several of the then living officers from the war bearing the rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union, including Georgy Zhukov, the parade inspector of the original 1945 Victory Parade, attended the event.[4][5]