Two-thirds of Holocaust victims identified

The gates of the Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp in Oswiecim are seen behind a bouquet of flowers.

A list of confirmed names of Jews killed by the Nazis in World War Two has reached the four million mark, Israel’s Holocaust museum announced today, saying the identity of all six million dead may never be known.

“It is a moral imperative, an obligation for us to retrieve information and commemorate each and every individual who perished,” said Avner Shalev, chairman of the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial and Museum in Jerusalem.

“By doing so, a lot of important material comes up in our research to help combat Holocaust denial,” he told Reuters.

Yad Vashem has sorted through “millions of occurrences of names” over nearly six decades of research and taking testimony from survivors.




Announcing the organisation had confirmed the identities of four million of the Jews who perished, Shalev said he doubted the names of all six million would ever come to light, although he stressed the figure was still accurate. “I don’t see that we will get to every last name,” Shalev said, noting the difficulty of verifying the deaths or survival of small children, and other unrecorded victims executed or carted off to death camps across Europe during the war.

Yad Vashem, founded in the early 1950s, has redoubled its efforts to identify the victims in the past few years, partly to counter detractors such as Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who publicly deny or question whether the Holocaust took place.

Shalev said the four million names Yad Vashem has verified so far is double the number the institution had confirmed as recently as 1999.

Advances in computer technology have speeded up the process of identifying victims, along with an increasing flow of information from eastern Europe where most Jews on the continent perished.

Shalev said he hoped researchers would identify at least five million of the victims within a few years.

He said the six million death toll is based largely on census tallies from before the war of Jews who lived in specific towns and cities from where most were deported to death camps or otherwise executed.

Many of these lists have been in turn checked against millions of pages of survivor testimony taken over the years and prisoner records, among other archive material at Yad Vashem’s disposal.

Taboo-breaking Berlin exhibition chronicles Hitler's hold over German society

The knuckle-dusters, truncheons and jackboots in the first case of a new exhibition on 'Hitler and the Germans' in Berlin sets the tone for a stark look at how German society embraced the Nazi regime in all its brutality.

While lots of memorabilia is on show, from SS and Gestapo uniforms to a sideboard from Hitler's office, the exhibition shows how all levels of German society - media, industry, the church, schools -- built up the Hitler cult in the 1930s and clung to it through World War II until defeat was imminent.

Some media have portrayed the show opening on Friday in the German Historical Museum as a taboo-breaking first exhibition on Adolf Hitler himself. But the curators are at pains to stress that their focus is on the society that created the dictator.

'Germany awake!': This Nazi flag is one of the displays at the Hitler And The Germans ¿ Nation And Crime' exhibition which has opened at the German Historical Museum

Uniforms worn by the military and Nazi party officials form part of the exhibition which is seen by some as breaking the taboo of examining how complicit German society was in the rise of Hitler

The poster on the left shows the different 'German races' and the one on the right warns of the dangers of 'inferior races' having more children than 'higher quality' ones

We don't want to focus on Hitler as a personality,' said Hans-Ulrich Thamer, curator of the exhibition subtitled 'Nation and Crime', at a media preview on Wednesday.

'We want to look at the rise of the regime, how it operated in power and how it fell, and the tremendous destructive potential that National Socialism unleashed,' he said.

The show is housed in a modern annexe behind the museum on Unter den Linden -- the boulevard that Hitler stripped of the linden trees that gave it its name - with no advertising, in deference to German law forbidding the display of Nazi symbols.

But inside the viewer is immersed in a world of propaganda ranging from cigarette packets with the swastika, complete with collectible uniform cards, to a handcart for selling the party paper, 'Voelkischer Beobachter'.

As the exhibits document the construction of the Nazi state, with its industry, autobahns and folksy celebrations of Hitler, they also reflect the growing racial hatred and discrimination.

One poster shows a mentally disabled boy beside a muscular blonde athlete and warns of the demographic dangers 'if retards have four children and the able-minded have just two'.

Then come displays of the yellow stars the Nazis forced Jews to wear and the striped concentration camp uniforms worn by some of the 6 million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and other Nazi victims. Among them is a tiny child's uniform from the camps.

After chronicling Hitler's downfall, the show touches on the post-war discussion of Nazism in German society, noting that the top-selling news magazine Der Spiegel put Hitler on its front cover no fewer than 46 times between 1949 and 2010.

'Since the 1990s not a single year has gone by without a Hitler portrait on the cover,' the curators said.

The final exhibits mention the fascination of neo-Nazis with Hitler memorabilia and displays anti-fascist logos.

Thamer was asked about the danger the museum could lure neo-Nazis eager for a look at Hitler memorabilia. Those sort of people, he said, don't go to museums.

A poster advertising Hitler's Mein Kampf urges the public to 'Learn about Hitler through his book' and (right) a Russian anti-Hitler poster

A visitor looks at signs advertising branches of the thuggish Brownshirts, the precursor to the SS, and, top right, a sign which says 'Jews are not welcome in our area'

A cigar case, a Fuehrer pack of cards (left) and even a party decoration with a swastika. The exhibition shows how Nazi images filtered into every aspect of German society

Beer mugs with swastikas and SS cuff-links show the extent of how the party's influence reached in everyday life

Toy tin soldiers of German soldiers in action and of Hitler and Goering are also on show. The memorabilia shows how the Hitler cult permeated all levels of society

The show touches on the post-war discussion of Nazism in German society, noting that the top-selling news magazine Der Spiegel put Hitler on its front cover no fewer than 46 times between 1949 and 2010

Private Wojtek, the 35-stone 'soldier bear' which drank, smoked and battled the Nazis, remembered with £200,000 statue

A bear which 'fought' alongside Polish soldiers during the Second World War is to be honoured with a £200,000 statue in Edinburgh.

'Private Wojtek' was a 6ft-tall 35 stone Syrian brown bear which was adopted by a Polish regiment stationed in the Middle East .

When Allied commanders issued an order that troops advancing on Rome were not to be accompanied by animals, the bear was promptly enlisted in the 22nd Transport Division (Artillery Supply) of the Polish 2nd Army Corps.

Wojtek, which means - 'he who enjoys war' or 'smiling warrior' - became a popular figure, enjoying treats of beers and cigarettes given to him by soldiers.

Gentle giant: The 6ft-tall bear weighed 35 stone and 'fought' his way across Europe with Polish troops

Friendship: Private Wojtek and handler Peter Prendys will be memorialised in a statue to be put up in Edinburgh. The bear accompanied Polish soldiers during their march across the Middle East and Europe during the Second World War

During his most famous escapade, the animal voluntarily carried shells for Allied guns during the brutal Battle of Monte Cassino in 1944.

After the war the bear moved with his unit to Berwickshire, Scotland. In 1947 he was moved to Edinburgh Zoo where he spent the rest of his life.

Now the Scottish capital will commemorate his extraordinary life with the statue by sculptor Alan Herriot.

It will show the bear and his ‘keeper’, soldier Peter Prendys, placing a hand on the shoulder of the gentle giant, a stance he always adopted when the pair walked around camp together.

Mr Herriot said: 'Wojtek may be most famous for assisting his fellow soldiers in carrying the shells, but really the value was in the effect his presence had on morale.

'I was very keen to depict that close friendship they enjoyed with him, as well as the entertainment and laughter he brought to the troops.

'We are also talking to people about raising a similar statue in Warsaw and Monte Cassino.

'It’s not just about the bear, it is also to commemorate the part the Polish played in the Second world War.

'The British and other European countries owe a great deal to them.'



Wojtek - a Polish boys name which means 'happy warrior' - was acquired by the Polish Army as a cub, and quickly took on the role of mascot.

He provided a 'welcome distraction' from the horrors of the desert war, wrestling with the troops and entertaining them by getting into countless scrapes, from getting stuck up a palm tree to cornering an Arab spy.

He also became fond of drinking beer and smoking and eating cigarettes, making him a perfect friend for the soldiers.

When the war finished, Wojtek and his company were relocated to Winfield camp near Hutton in Berwickshire before the bear was moved to Edinburgh Zoo in 1947, where he lived out his final years.

Several sites in the capital are considered for the monument, including Hillside Crescent and Calton Hill.

When this is decided, an application for permission will be submitted to Edinburgh City Council, with the intention that the statue will be unveiled in around 12 months’ time.

The campaign to put up the memorial is backed by Cardinal Keith O’Brien - most of the Polish soldiers were Catholic - together with Euan Loudon, the former governor of Edinburgh Castle and Aileen Orr, author of the book Wojtek the Bear: Polish War Hero.

She said she had been captivated by his story ever since she visited him at Edinburgh Zoo, aged eight, with a Polish friend.

When Wojtek heard her friend speaking Polish his ears pricked up and he waved to the two delighted school girls.

In addition, Ms Orr’s grandfather, who had met the bear on a number of occasions during the war, told her stories about him when she was a child.

Ms Orr, from Lockerbie, said: 'Like many men, my grandfather didn’t like to talk about the war.

'But he was able to talk about about it a bit by telling me about Wojtek. He met the bear while he was serving in Palestine and Egypt and it made a great impression on him.

'What the bear offered all of these men was comfort. At a time when they were far from home, had nothing, and often no-one, Wojtek stood in for the wives, children, pets, family they’d left behind.

'He was someone to love and someone who loved them back.'

Edinburgh’s Lord Provost George Grubb said: 'Wojtek, the Soldier Bear, was a very familiar and much-cherished figure in Edinburgh and became part of the tradition and history of the Polish community in the city.

'We would like to ensure that his memory is preserved for generations to come and our monuments experts are currently working with the Polish community to help identify a suitably prominent site for his memorial statue.'

Familiar pose: Private Wojtek's statue at the Sikorski Museum in London

Awesome courage of the D-Day piper who the Nazis thought was mad

Under the fire of Nazi guns and wading through a sea turning crimson with the blood of fallen colleagues, Bill Millin struggled towards the Normandy sands.

Waist deep in water, he led the commandos of the 1st Special Service Brigade on to the beach as they fought to their deaths on the most famous day of World War II.

Amid the clatter of battle and dreadful cries of the injured, Millin only just caught the five words that turned him into a hero. 'Give us "Highland Laddie" man!' shouted Lord Lovat, the charismatic Chief of Clan Fraser and Brigadier of the 2,500 commandos, who was determined to put some backbone into his invading forces.


Piper Bill Millin played again on the Normandy beaches to celebrate the the 35th anniversary of the D-Day Landings

Bill Millin in 1944: The playing of the pipes lifted the spirits of hard-pressed British troops, and dumbfounded the German defenders

Obediently, 21-year-old Millin, Lovatt's personal piper, put the mouthpiece of his bagpipes to his lips, ignored the carnage and thundering crash of gunfire - and played as he had never played before.

It was 8.40 on June 6 1944, the morning of D-day. In the largest amphibious assault ever mounted, 150,000 troops from Britain, America and Canada were landing along a 60-mile stretch of the Normandy coastline.

D-day was the turning point in the Allies' battle against Hitler. And the name of Bill Millin, who died this week aged 88, is intrinsically linked with the events of that early summer's day. He is a reminder of the bravery and sacrifice of ordinary soldiers as they fought to protect this nation from the Nazis. He will live for ever in the annals of history.
The French awarded him their Croix d'Honneur and plan to erect a statue to him close to the beach where he marched ashore - the most eastern of the beaches picked by the Allies for the invasion.

The long stretch of sand where his haunting music stirred his fellow soldiers into battle near the French town of Ouistreham was codenamed Sword, while the other four beaches to the west were Omaha, Gold, Utah and Juno.

By the time Millin landed, it had already been a tumultuous journey across the Channel. 'I had my pipes with me as we set off from England the night before,' he explained later. 'I had been playing to the troops waiting to board the landing craft as we went along the Hamble river, and then I put them back in the box.

'Lord Lovat said: "You better get them out again because you can play us out of the Solent and into the Channel. You will be in the leading craft with me." '

He stood at the front of the landing craft piping The Road To The Isles. When the commandos were just off the Isle of Wight, they met thousands of other boats and ships carrying troops. 'They heard the pipes, and they were throwing their hats in the air and cheering,' he remembered.

He only stopped playing because the waves had become choppy and he was losing his balance. 'After we left the Solent and were out in the Channel, the hatches on the landing craft were put down and we were very cramped.

There were some people playing cards, but most were violently sick, including myself. The next morning I pushed open the hatch and looked out at a grey dawn. The wind was blowing and freezing

'Then after another half an hour people were starting to get gear together, their rucksacks on and were making towards the front of the craft. We could see the mist of the French shoreline and the neat bungalows along the seafront.'
Bill continued: 'Everyone was checking their kit, and putting their kit on. I didn't think of being shot, how many Germans there were or anything other than the smell of seasickness on me. We all got up on deck and we stood in the freezing wind watching the shoreline. Then the order came to get ashore and I was very pleased.'

Lord Lovat, 32, jumped into the water first. Because Lovat was over 6ft tall, Bill waited to see what depth it was before going in. He said: 'My kilt floated to the surface and the shock of the freezing cold water knocked all feelings of sickness from me.'

Within seconds the commandos were being struck down by German mortar shells and machine-gun fire. One commando was killed as Lovat got into the sea, his body floating up by Bill as he made for the shore.

Yet Lovat asked Bill to play again. He nearly refused. 'Well, when I looked round - the noise and people lying about on the ground, the shouting and the smoke, the crump of mortars,' he said later, 'I said to myself: "Well, you must be joking, surely."

But Lovat insisted, and Bill said: 'Well, what tune would you like, Sir?'

'How about Highland Laddie and The Road To The Isles?' said Lovat, telling him to walk up and down the beach as he played.

Bill could see soldiers lying face down in the water as he played. 'Troops to my left were trying to dig in just off the beach,' he recalled. 'Yet when they heard the pipes, some of them stopped what they were doing and waved their arms, cheering.'

Lovat's commandos were heavily machine-gunned and mortared, but had a vital objective and pressed on. They had orders to link up with the British 6th Airborne division and keep secure a strategically vital bridge over the Caen Canal three miles down a road full of German snipers beyond Sword beach.

The airborne division had captured the bridge in the early hours that day in an assault later immortalised in the classic film The Longest Day, in which the part of Millin was played by Pipe Major Leslie de Laspee, the official piper to the Queen Mother. The 180-strong company airborne division, led by Major John Howard, swooped at dawn in gliders.

The crossing was later renamed Pegasus Bridge, after the flying horse shoulder emblem worn by British airborne forces.

The attack took the Germans completely by surprise and stopped them from swarming over the bridge and towards Sword beach.

It also allowed the invading soldiers to push across the bridge and make their way through France.

Throughout that morning, the airborne division had to repel repeated counter-attacks at Pegasus, which was surrounded by Panzer divisions. And by early afternoon, the jaded British troops were urgently needing help from Lovat and his commandos.

Suddenly, at 1 pm, there was the sound of bagpipes. With Bill Millin playing Lovat's favourite tune Blue Bonnets Over The Border, the commandos marched into view. despite heavy German fire, as the red berets of the airborne division and the green berets of the commandos mingled there was a lightening of spirits.

Major Howard approached Lovat. Holding out his hand, he said: 'We are very pleased to see you, old boy.' Lovat responded: 'Yes, and sorry we are twoanda-half minutes late.'

The commandos went over the bridge to confront the Germans - with Bill Millin playing his pipes as brave as a lion leading the way.

'not once did I think I was going to die,' said Bill afterwards. 'I was too busy playing. We had been attacked by snipers once we left Sword Beach, particularly from cornfields on the right of the road. 'At one point I glanced round, stopped playing and everyone was face down on the road. even Lovat was on one knee. Then the next thing this sniper comes scrambling down from a tree and Lovat and our group dash forward.

'We could see this sniper's head bobbing about in the cornfield. Lovat shot at him and he fell. Lovat sent two men into the cornfield to see what had happened, and they brought back the dead body.'

reMArkABLY, the only weapon Bill carried that long day was a Scottish dirk in his sock. He survived unscathed The Germans put a hole in his bagpipes with shrapnel. So he just pulled a spare set out of his rucksack.

The great mystery is why the Germans didn't gun him down. He couldn't have been more conspicuous in full Highland dress and with blaring bagpipes.

Pipers were banned in conflict zones after World War I because so many died. Lovat's orders for Bill to play on d-day breached all Army rules.

It would take Bill more than 40 years to find out why he survived. He said: 'I met a German commander at a dday reunion and asked why they hadn't shot me.

'The commander just tapped his head and said "We thought you were a 'Dummkopf ', or off your head. Why waste bullets on a Dummkopf?" '

Winston Churchill's 'Few' speech marks Battle of Britain's 70th anniversary

Churchill's daughter Lady Soames was among hundreds of people to mark the 70th Anniversary

Under a slate grey sky, the words of Winston Churchill rang defiantly around Westminster: 'Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.'

It may be 70 years old, but the resounding call to arms during the Battle of Britain still stiffened the sinew bringing pride and not a few tears yesterday.

Churchill's famous address was delivered by actor Robert Hardy at 3.52pm - exactly the time they were originally spoken in Parliament by the wartime Prime Minister on August 20, 1940.









The ceremony was followed by a fly-past from a Spitfire and Hurricane fighter over Whitehall. Pictured here are the aircraft which took part in the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight celebrations in 2008

A Spitfire and Hurricane from the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight pass by the London Eye during a flypast today

Forces sweetheart: Dame Vera Lynn mingled with veterans during the 70th anniversary commemorations of the Battle of Britain today

Japan PM renews apology over Korea rule

Kan speaks at a news conference at his official residence in Tokyo today, August 10, 2010 where he apologised for the suffering caused under Japan’s colonisation of the Korean peninsula

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan apologised today for Korea’s suffering under colonisation, despite concern the gesture could reignite calls for wartime compensation.

Kan is seeking to prevent ties with major trading partner South Korea from being dragged back into periodic disputes stemming from Japan’s often-brutal 1910-1945 colonisation of the peninsula and a territorial row over nearby islets.





“It is easy for the side that inflicted the pain to forget, while those who suffered that pain cannot easily forget,” Kan said in a statement to mark the centenary of Japan’s annexation of the Korean peninsula on August 29.

“I express a renewed feeling of deep remorse and state my heartfelt apology for the tremendous damage and suffering caused by colonial rule.”

While Japan has apologised for its wartime actions, bitter memories still run deep among South Koreans who have been unhappy with comments from Japanese politicians and school textbooks that critics say whitewash its militaristic past.

Kan’s apology is in line with a landmark 1995 statement to Asian countries by then-Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of World War Two.

Lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties have worried that such an apology from Kan could lead to more compensation claims from wartime victims, but Kan said claims had been settled under a 1965 pact that established diplomatic ties.

Tokyo’s relations with Seoul chilled during former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s 2001-2006 tenure when he repeatedly visited the Yasukuni Shrine, seen by Japan’s neighbours as a symbol of Japan’s past militarism.

Ties between Asia’s biggest and fourth-biggest economies have improved in recent years. South Korea was Japan’s third-largest export market in 2009 and the two sides have worked together to battle the global financial crisis.

They are also showing a united front on nuclear-armed North Korea. Tokyo has backed Seoul’s tough stance towards North Korea following the sinking in March of a naval ship blamed by the South on Pyongyang.

Kan also said in the statement he wanted to hand over documents from the 1392-1910 Joseon Dynasty to South Korea and vowed to further deepen ties. He said South Korean President Lee Myung-bak had welcomed the statement in a telephone call.

South Korean public reaction was more mixed.

“The offer to return the royal documents is just an exaggerated form of such repeated apologies that have no real content,” said Kim Tae-hyuk, 28, a company intern in Seoul.

“I would like to see Japan as a whole, including the opposition parties and the people, and not just the prime minister, give a sincere, heartfelt apology.”

British troops march through Russia's Red Square for the first time during Victory Day parade

Russian troops line up in perfect formation for the largest-ever post-Soviet military parade on Red Square

Vintage Soviet-era T-34 tank rumble through the square

Mr Medvedev, Chinese President Hu Jintao, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin watch the celebrations begin

A mobile launcher with a Topol-M missile travels along the route of the parade

British soldiers marched on Red Square in Moscow for the first time today to mark the 65th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Seventy-six soldiers from 2 Company 1st Battalion Welsh Guards were representing the UK at the invitation of the Russian Government.

They marched alongside more than 10,500 Russian troops and others from the U.S. and France.
The event - thought to be costing £26 million - also featured a 1,000-strong military band, 161 tanks and missiles and 127 aircraft.

The hour-long parade saw six types of defence equipment on show in a display of military prowess set to dominate the city's sky and roads.

Guardsman Ian Mundy said: 'There is a sense of pride to be in this massive parade on Red Square.

'It seems that everyone is interested in us as well and I'm proud to be a part of that.'

Lance Corporal John Sanigar added: 'It's a brilliant place to be at the moment for the Army and the Welsh Guards.'The Welsh Guards are staying at the Moscow Military Academy as guests of the Russian Army.


World War Two veterans salute as they watch troops march through Red Square

Russian Su-25 fighter jets fly over St. Basil's Cathedral

Russian military aircraft add to the spectacle in the skies above Red Square

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev speaks before the start of a military parade in Red Square in Moscow today

The crowds cheer as Russian soldiers, wearing replica uniforms, march to Palace Square in Saint Petersburg

Members of the French Army carry bayonets attached to their rifles

Polish troops make their way across the square, witnessed by crowds of thousands

U.S. military personnel were also among those to march

The British troops are staying at the Moscow Military Academy as guests of the Russian Army

Seventy-six soldiers from 2 Company 1st Battalion Welsh Guards represented the UK during Victory Day celebrations in Moscow's Red Square today

They were given a guided tour of the Kremlin, invited to concerts and took part in a cultural tour of the city via a boat trip up the Moscow River.

The Welsh Guards served in Afghanistan six months ago and lost its commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Rupert Thorneloe, during the tour.

Lt Col Thorneloe - the most senior British army officer to die in action since the Falklands conflict - was killed alongside Trooper Joshua Hammond by a roadside improvised explosive device.

'It was an emotional tour,' said Guardsman Thomas James, whose grandfathers both served in the Second World War.
'This is the first time I've been on official parade in my tunic since we've been back. It's an honour to be here.'

Commanding Officer of the Welsh Guards, Lieutenant Colonel Charlie Antelme, said the parade was a 'surreal' experience.

'(It is) a historic moment for the Welsh Guards and the British Army, and, of course, for the Russian people,' he added.

Foreign leaders including President Hu Jintao of China and German Chancellor Angela Merkel also watched the celebrations.
But Russia's Communists, still the country's biggest opposition party, pledged to hold a protest march in central Moscow after the parade.

They will chant slogans against NATO forces for marching over a hallowed square which is also home to the embalmed body of their revolutionary hero, Vladimir Lenin.

'Foreign troops have never appeared on Red Square. It's a violation of tradition,' said Sergei Obukhov, a member of the party's Central Committee.

'The presence of foreign troops with weapons in their hands is...an unnecessary reminder that we lost the Cold War'.

Obama, unable to come to Moscow because of a scheduling clash, praised the invitation to NATO troops.

'President Medvedev has shown remarkable leadership in honouring the sacrifices of those who came before us, and in speaking so candidly about the Soviet Union's suppression of elementary rights and freedoms,' he said in a statement.

Most Russians seem to back Medvedev's invitation to the NATO forces.

A poll by the independent Levada Centre last month showed that 55 percent viewed the presence of NATO troops at the parade as wholly or partly positive, with only 28 percent opposing it.

The result may reflect markedly better relations between Moscow and Washington since Obama's election and his 'reset' of relations. This has already brought a new treaty cutting nuclear weapons and a deal on helping supply NATO forces in Afghanistan.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi cancelled their attendance at the last minute, citing the need to deal with the crisis surrounding the euro currency.

Continuing a tradition begun by Stalin, Soviet and then Russian troops have marched in Red Square every year on May 9 to mark the capitulation of Nazi forces in Berlin.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin revived two years ago a Soviet-era tradition of parading tanks, missiles and military vehicles across the square and flying helicopters, fighters and bombers low overhead.

While Medvedev greeted war veterans on Saturday, accompanied by Ukraine President Viktor Yanukovich and Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko, Putin hosted a special meeting and dinner at his country retreat outside Moscow for China's Hu.

The Kremlin, which is eager to shore up its influence and tighten ties two decades after the Soviet breakup, is using this year's parade to stress bonds among the former republics, many of whose leaders will attend.

Among the weaponry on show this year will be Russia's latest S-400 air defence system, which claims to be capable of shooting down up to six missiles or aircraft simultaneously at a distance of up to 400 km (250 miles).

China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates are said to be interested in buying the system.

Meanwhile Russian police are on alert for possible attacks ahead of the celebrations, following a car bomb explosion near a military base in the southern Dagestan region this morning.

Two people were killed in the blast, while another soldier has been killed in a separate blast in the city.