On May 9, Russia celebrates a national holiday - Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War 1941-1945, in which the Soviet people fought for the freedom and independence of their homeland against Nazi Germany and its allies. The Great Patriotic War was the most important and decisive part of the Second World War of 1939-1945.

The Great Patriotic War began at dawn on June 22, 1941, when Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union. On her side were Romania, Italy, and a few days later Hungary, Slovakia and Finland.

(Military Encyclopedia. Chairman of the Main Editorial Commission S.B. Ivanov. Military Publishing. Moscow. In 8 volumes -2004. ISBN 5 - 203 01875 - 8)

The war lasted almost four years and became the largest armed clash in the history of mankind. On a huge front stretching from the Barents to the Black Seas, from 8 to 12.8 million people fought on both sides in different periods, from 5.7 to 20 thousand tanks and assault guns, from 84 to 163 thousand guns and mortars, from 6.5 to 18.8 thousand aircraft. The history of wars has never known such a huge scale of hostilities and the concentration of such a large mass of military equipment.

The act of unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany was signed in the suburbs of Berlin on May 8 at 22:43 CET (Moscow time on May 9 at 0:43). It is because of this time difference that the Day of the End of World War II is celebrated on May 8 in Europe, and on May 9 in the Soviet Union.

And only in 1965, in the year of the twentieth anniversary of the victory of the Soviet troops, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Council, May 9 was again declared a non-working day. The holiday was given an exceptionally solemn status, a special anniversary medal. On May 9, 1965, a military parade was held on Red Square in Moscow, and the Banner of Victory was carried in front of the troops.

Since then, Victory Day has always been celebrated very solemnly in the USSR, and holding military parades on May 9 has become a tradition. The streets and squares were decorated with flags and banners. At 7 pm, a minute of silence was announced in memory of the dead. Mass meetings of veterans in the center of Moscow have become traditional.

On May 9, 1991, the last parade of the USSR era took place, and until 1995 there were no parades. In 1995, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Victory, a military parade was held in Moscow along Kutuzovsky Prospekt near Poklonnaya Hill. It demonstrated samples of military equipment, while columns of veterans marched along Red Square.

Since 1996, the tradition of holding military parades on the main square of the country has been enshrined in the law "On perpetuating the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945." According to him, parades should take place not only in Moscow, but also in hero cities, and in cities where the headquarters of military districts and fleets are deployed. The participation of military equipment in the law is not fixed.

Since then, parades have been held annually. On Victory Day, meetings of veterans, solemn events and concerts are held. Wreaths and flowers are laid at the monuments of military glory, memorials, mass graves, guards of honor are put up. Memorial services are held in churches and temples of Russia.

Every year on this day in the hero cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Volgograd, Novorossiysk, Tula, Smolensk and Murmansk, as well as in the cities of Kaliningrad, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Chita, Khabarovsk, Vladivostok, Severomorsk and Sevastopol is a festive artillery salute. The first salute on the occasion of Victory Day was fired in Moscow on May 9, 1945 with 30 salvos from a thousand guns.

Since 2005, a patriotic action "St. George's Ribbon" has been held in order to return and instill the value of the holiday in the younger generation. On the eve of the celebration of Victory Day, everyone can tie a hand, bag or car antenna " St. George ribbon"as a sign of memory of the heroic past of the USSR, as a symbol of military prowess, Victory, military glory and recognition of the merits of front-line soldiers.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

On every public holiday, fireworks light up the festive sky at the end of the evening. In a certain area, from which the fireworks are clearly visible, they fence the territory, drive a special car with a pyrotechnic installation and launch it at the appointed time. These holidays are New Year, City Day, Independence Day, of course, May 9th.

Victory Day is relevant for the countries of the post-Soviet space, since the Second World War brought a lot of troubles and losses to the USSR, and at the cost of incredible efforts and courage, she was able to overcome the enemy.
There are a number of symbolic stages on Victory Day. Because in the countries of the former Soviet Union many monuments to the courage of Soviet soldiers have been erected, then an integral part of each Victory Day is the laying of wreaths at such monuments, as well as the procession of veterans, which are becoming less and less every year.
For the first time on May 9, the sky blew up in 1945, when 30 volleys were fired on Red Square. Salute in honor of significant victories Soviet army began to give since 1943. Initially, there were no colorful fireworks in the Soviet army, and in this case, volleys were given even by a machine-gun burst. Although most often used signal lighting rockets.

History has preserved photographs of the first salute, on May 9, 1945, when illumination was created on the festive Red Square and, having installed 1000 anti-aircraft guns, 30 salute volleys thundered. according to eyewitnesses preserved in the archives, it was a grandiose incredibly beautiful event.
After the war, this day was non-working for 3 years, then on this day congratulations were received to the front-line soldiers, and the tradition of celebrating this day resumed in 1965.
As you know, fireworks and fireworks are given on the most significant holidays in the country, and for about 50 years, fireworks on Victory Day have been denoting the importance of freedom for each country and are an integral part of the celebration.
Remembering the history of the salute, it was originally used so that ships could greet each other, and represented a failure of an artillery salute - a volley. And today the celebration of Victory Day is related to the military salute, since on this day an artillery salute is held.

How to create your own holiday and organize fireworks

Of course, no one can replace such beauty as the main fireworks of the country, but sometimes you want to launch your charge into the sky on important holidays. Of course, for this you can buy fireworks in a pyrotechnics store. However, this is not the best option, since any pyrotechnics are unsafe and may not leave the best impression of yourself. Therefore, it is best to turn to professional pyrotechnicians who will tell you which salutes or fireworks are better to buy, organize the process and make sure everything goes smoothly. You should order fireworks from the pyrotechnics and you won't have to worry about anything. Working on the market for these services for more than one year, we know how to provide a holiday for every home.

A toast to the Victory and to comrades-in-arms May 9, 1945 Berlin.

“It has happened! She is in front of us, not a word, not marble, hot, alive, in a tunic, faded from the sun and rains, gray-haired from the dust of campaigns, with ribbons of wounds on her chest, the most beautiful and most beloved, our VICTORY!

The last volleys died down, and after many years Europe found a great gift - silence. For the first time, mothers can calmly caress their children - the shadow of death no longer falls on the cradle. Flowers bloom, grains sprout, fields rise, they will not be trampled by the caterpillars of tanks. And in the unusual silence of this morning, millions of excited hearts salute the victory.

The Red Army saved mankind from mortal danger. I will not darken this hour with pictures of fascist atrocities; and there is no need for it: there is grief that is longer than life. We will not forget what we have experienced, and this is the guarantee of the world. He stands on the clock, protecting the future, a soldier of Stalingrad; he saw everything, he remembers everything, and he knows that fascism is the end.

Many times we have heard lofty words: "Eternal glory to the heroes who fell in the battles for the freedom and independence of our Motherland!". Looking at the green and ruby ​​rockets, we thought about those whose too short life illuminated the path of the people. The dead are immortal, and wherever those graves are, in the Caucasus or near the Alps, a passer-by will take off his hat in front of them: he owes his breath to them. And many years later, children will talk about the years of great grief and great glory, as about their origins: after all, those who died saved their grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The fields will turn green near Ponar, near Korsun, near Mga - where blood flowed and fire raged. It is difficult to find words to describe such happiness. You win. Motherland! "

People ran out of houses. They happily congratulated each other on the long-awaited victory.

Banners appeared. There were more and more people, and everyone moved to Red Square.

A spontaneous demonstration began. Joyful faces, songs, harmonica dances.

Thirty volleys from a thousand guns in honor of the Great Victory.

Everyone cheered, from young to old.

It was impossible not only to pass, but also to pass. The military is grabbed, shaken, kissed.

It’s good that as soon as I arrived, I took a liter of vodka at the station, otherwise it was impossible to buy it in the evening. We celebrated Victory Day with our family, apartment owners and neighbors. They drank for the victory, for those who did not live to see this day and for the fact that this bloody massacre would never happen again. On May 10, it was no longer possible to buy vodka in Moscow, they drank it all.

On the Tverskaya Zastava near the Pobeda railway station

Victory Day in Moscow, 1945. The whole of Moscow was seething!
Mayakovsky Square

Performance of the Big State Symphony Orchestra on Manezhnaya Square

Demonstration on the Big Stone Bridge

Jubilant Muscovites and guests of the capital on Manezhnaya Square.

Rejoicing Muscovites on Mokhovaya Street, against the backdrop of the Moscow Hotel

Boys at the beginning of Tverskaya (Gorky St.)

People in the Historical passage (Tverskaya is visible in the distance)

Joyful gang at Pashkov's house

70 years ago, on June 24, 1945, the Victory Parade took place on the Red Square of Moscow. It was the triumph of the victorious Soviet people, who defeated Nazi Germany, which led the united forces of Europe in the Great Patriotic War.

The decision to hold a parade in honor of the victory over Germany was made by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin shortly after Victory Day - in mid-May 1945. The Deputy Chief of the General Staff, General of the Army S.M. Shtemenko recalled: “The Supreme Commander ordered us to think over and report to him our thoughts on the parade to commemorate the victory over Nazi Germany, while he pointed out: “We need to prepare and hold a special parade. Let representatives of all fronts and all branches of the armed forces take part in it ... "

On May 24, 1945, the General Staff presented to Joseph Stalin their views on holding a "special parade." The Supreme Commander accepted them, but postponed the date of the parade. The General Staff asked for two months to prepare. Stalin ordered the parade to be held in a month. On the same day, the commander of the troops of the Leningrad, 1st and 2nd Belorussian, 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Ukrainian fronts received a directive from the Chief of the General Staff, General of the Army Alexei Innokentyevich Antonov, to hold a parade:

The Supreme Commander ordered:

1. To participate in the parade in the city of Moscow in honor of the victory over Germany, allocate a consolidated regiment from the front.

2. Form a consolidated regiment according to the following calculation: five two-company battalions of 100 people in each company (ten squads of 10 people). In addition, 19 people commanders from the calculation: regiment commander - 1, deputy regiment commanders - 2 (for combat and political affairs), regimental chief of staff - 1, battalion commanders - 5, company commanders - 10 and 36 people of bannermen with 4 assistant officers. In total, there are 1059 people in the consolidated regiment and 10 spare people.

3. In the consolidated regiment, have six companies of infantry, one company of artillerymen, one company of tankers, one company of pilots and one company of combined (cavalrymen, sappers, signalmen).

4. The companies are to be equipped so that the commanders of the departments are middle officers, and in each department - privates and sergeants.

5. Personnel for participation in the parade should be selected from among the soldiers and officers who have most distinguished themselves in battles and who have military orders.

6. Equip the consolidated regiment: three rifle companies - with rifles, three rifle companies - with machine guns, a company of artillerymen - with carbines behind their backs, a company of tankers and a company of pilots - with pistols, a company of sappers, signalmen and cavalrymen - with carbines behind their backs, cavalrymen, in addition - checkers.

7. The front commander and all commanders, including aviation and tank armies, arrive at the parade.

8. The consolidated regiment to arrive in Moscow on June 10, 1945, having 36 combat banners, the most distinguished in the battles of formations and units of the front, and all enemy banners captured in battles, regardless of their number.

9. Ceremonial uniforms for the entire regiment will be issued in Moscow.

Defeated standards of the Nazi troops

Ten combined regiments of the fronts and the combined regiment of the Naval Forces were supposed to participate in the festive event. Students of military academies, cadets of military schools and troops of the Moscow garrison were also involved in the parade, as well as military equipment including aircraft. At the same time, the troops that existed as of May 9, 1945 of seven more fronts of the USSR Armed Forces did not take part in the parade: the Transcaucasian Front, the Far Eastern Front, the Transbaikal Front, the Western Air Defense Front, the Central Air Defense Front, the Southwestern Air Defense Front and the Transcaucasian Air Defense Front.

The troops immediately began to create consolidated regiments. The fighters for the main parade of the country were meticulously selected. First of all, they took those who showed heroism, courage and military skill in battles. Such qualities as height and age mattered. For example, in the order for the troops of the 1st Belorussian Front dated May 24, 1945, it was noted that height should not be less than 176 cm, and age should not be older than 30 years.

At the end of May, the regiments were formed. By order of May 24, there should have been 1059 people and 10 spare people in the consolidated regiment, but in the end the number was increased to 1465 people and 10 spare people. The commanders of the consolidated regiments were determined:

From the Karelian Front - Major General G. E. Kalinovsky;
- from Leningradsky - Major General A. T. Stupchenko;
- from the 1st Baltic - Lieutenant General A. I. Lopatin;
- from the 3rd Belorussian - Lieutenant General P.K. Koshevoy;
- from the 2nd Belorussian - Lieutenant General K. M Erastov;
- from the 1st Belorussian - Lieutenant General I.P. Rosly;
- from the 1st Ukrainian - Major General G.V. Baklanov;
- from the 4th Ukrainian - Lieutenant General A. L. Bondarev;
- from the 2nd Ukrainian - Guard Lieutenant General I. M. Afonin;
- from the 3rd Ukrainian - Guard Lieutenant General N. I. Biryukov;
- from the Navy - Vice Admiral V. G. Fadeev.

The Victory Parade was hosted by Marshal of the Soviet Union Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov. Marshal of the Soviet Union Konstantin Konstantinovich Rokossovsky commanded the parade. The entire organization of the parade was led by the commander of the Moscow Military District and the head of the Moscow garrison, Colonel-General Pavel Artemyevich Artemyev.

Marshal G.K. Zhukov takes the Victory Parade in Moscow

During the organization of the parade, a number of problems had to be solved in a very short time. So, if students of military academies, cadets of military schools in the capital and soldiers of the Moscow garrison had parade uniforms, then thousands of front-line soldiers had to sew them. This task was solved by garment factories in Moscow and the Moscow region. And the responsible task of preparing ten standards, under which the consolidated regiments were to come out, was entrusted to a unit of military builders. However, their project was rejected. In an emergency order, they turned for help to specialists from the art and production workshops of the Bolshoi Theater. The head of the art and props shop V. Terzibashyan and the head of the locksmith and mechanical shop N. Chistyakov coped with the assigned task. On a vertical oak shaft with a silver wreath that framed a golden five-pointed star, a horizontal metal pin with “golden” spiers at the ends was fixed. A double-sided scarlet velvet banner of the standard was hung on it, bordered with gold patterned hand knitting and with the name of the front. Separate heavy gold tassels fell down on the sides. This sketch was accepted. Hundreds of ribbons, which crowned the shafts of 360 combat banners, which were carried at the head of the consolidated regiments, were also made in the workshops of the Bolshoi Theater. Each banner represented military unit or a unit that distinguished itself in battles, and each of the ribbons marked a collective feat, marked by a military order. Most of the banners were guards.

By June 10, special trains with parade participants began to arrive in the capital. In total, 24 marshals, 249 generals, 2536 officers, 31,116 privates, sergeants participated in the parade. Hundreds of units of military equipment were prepared for the parade. The training took place at the Central Airfield named after M.V. Frunze. Soldiers and officers trained daily for 6-7 hours. And all this for the sake of three and a half minutes of an impeccable march through Red Square. Parade participants were the first in the army to be awarded the medal "For the Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", established on May 9, 1945.

At the direction of the General Staff, about 900 units of captured banners and standards were delivered to Moscow from Berlin and Dresden. Of these, 200 banners and standards were selected, which were placed under guard in a special room. On the day of the parade, they were taken to Red Square in covered trucks and handed over to the soldiers of the parade company of "porters". Soviet soldiers carried enemy banners and standards with gloves, emphasizing that it was disgusting to even take the shafts of these symbols into the hands. At the parade, they will be thrown onto a special platform so that the standards do not touch the pavement of the sacred Red Square. Hitler's personal standard will be the first to be thrown, the banner of Vlasov's army will be the last. Later, this platform and gloves will be burned.

The parade was planned to start with the removal of the Victory Banner, which was delivered to the capital on June 20 from Berlin. However, the standard-bearer Neustroev and his assistants Yegorov, Kantaria and Berest, who hoisted him over the Reichstag and sent to Moscow, went extremely poorly at the rehearsal. The war was not up to drill. The same battalion commander of the 150th Idritsa-Berlin Rifle Division, Stepan Neustroev, had several wounds, his legs were injured. As a result, they refused to take out the Banner of Victory. By order of Marshal Zhukov, the banner was transferred to the Central Museum armed forces. For the first time, the Banner of Victory was taken to the parade in 1965.

Victory parade. standard-bearers

Victory parade. Build sailors

Victory parade. Line of tank officers

Kuban Cossacks

On June 22, 1945, the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief No. 370 was published in the central newspapers of the Union:

Order of the Supreme Commander

“In commemoration of the victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War, I appoint a parade of troops of the army on the Red Square on June 24, 1945, Navy and the Moscow garrison - Victory Parade.

Bring the combined regiments of the fronts, the combined regiment of the People's Commissariat of Defense, the combined regiment of the Navy, military academies, military schools and troops of the Moscow garrison to the parade.

The Victory Parade will be hosted by my Deputy Marshal of the Soviet Union Zhukov.

Command the Victory Parade to Marshal of the Soviet Union Rokossovsky.

I entrust the general leadership for organizing the parade to the commander of the troops of the Moscow Military District and the head of the garrison of the city of Moscow, Colonel General Artemyev.

Supreme Commander
Marshal of the Soviet Union I. Stalin.

The morning of June 24 was rainy. It started to rain fifteen minutes before the start of the parade. The weather improved only in the evening. Because of this, the aviation part of the parade and the passage of Soviet workers were canceled. Exactly at 10 o'clock, with the battle of the Kremlin chimes, Marshal Zhukov rode on a white horse to Red Square. At 10:50 a detour of the troops began. Grand Marshal alternately greeted the soldiers of the combined regiments and congratulated the participants of the Parade on the victory over Germany. The troops responded with a mighty "Hurrah!" Having traveled around the shelves, Georgy Konstantinovich went up to the podium. The Marshal congratulated the Soviet people and their valiant armed forces on their victory. Then the anthem of the USSR was played by 1,400 military musicians, 50 volleys of artillery salute rolled like thunder, and three Russian “Hurrah!” resounded over the square.

The solemn march of victorious warriors was opened by the parade commander, Marshal of the Soviet Union Rokossovsky. He was followed by a group of young drummers, pupils of the 2nd Moscow Military Music School. They were followed by the combined regiments of the fronts in the order in which they were located during the Great Patriotic War, from north to south. The regiment of the Karelian Front went first, then the Leningrad, 1st Baltic, 3rd Belorussian, 2nd Belorussian, 1st Belorussian (it had a group of soldiers of the Polish Army), 1st Ukrainian, 4th Ukrainian, 2nd th Ukrainian and 3rd Ukrainian fronts. The combined regiment of the Navy brought up the rear of the solemn procession.

The movement of troops was accompanied by a huge orchestra of 1,400 people. Each consolidated regiment passes under its own combat march almost without pauses. Then the orchestra fell silent and 80 drums were beaten in silence. A group of soldiers appeared who carried 200 lowered banners and standards of the defeated German troops. They threw the banners on the wooden platforms near the Mausoleum. The stands burst into applause. It was an act full of sacred meaning, a kind of sacred rite. Symbols Nazi Germany, and hence the "European Union-1", were defeated. Soviet civilization proved its superiority over the West.

Then the orchestra played again. Parts of the Moscow garrison, the consolidated regiment of the People's Commissariat of Defense, students of military academies and cadets of military schools marched along Red Square. Pupils brought up the rear Suvorov schools, the future of the victorious Red Empire.

Heavy tanks IS-2 pass through Red Square during the parade in honor of the Victory on June 24, 1945

The parade lasted 2 hours in heavy rain. However, this did not bother people and did not spoil the holiday. Orchestras played, the celebration continued. Late evening started fireworks. At 11 p.m., out of 100 balloons raised by anti-aircraft gunners, 20 thousand rockets flew in salvos. Thus ended the great day. On June 25, 1945, a reception was held in the Grand Kremlin Palace in honor of the participants in the Victory Parade.

It was a real triumph of the victorious people, the Soviet civilization. The Soviet Union survived and won the most terrible war in mankind. Our people and army won the most effective military vehicle western world. They destroyed the terrible embryo of the "New World Order" - the "Eternal Reich", in which they planned to destroy the entire Slavic world and enslave humanity. Unfortunately, this victory, like others, was not eternal. New generations of Russian people will again have to stand in the fight against world evil and defeat it.

As rightly pointed out Russian President Vladimir Putin in his written address addressed to the visitors of the exhibition “Victory Parade on June 24, 1945”, which opened at the State Historical Museum on the eve of the 55th anniversary of the Victory Parade: “We must not forget about this strong parade. historical memory- a guarantee of a worthy future for Russia. We must adopt the main thing from the heroic generation of front-line soldiers - the habit of winning. This habit is very necessary in our today's peaceful life. It will help the current generation build a strong, stable and prosperous Russia. I am confident that the spirit of the Great Victory will continue to protect our Motherland in the new, 21st century.”

The tradition of celebrating major victories of the Soviet army with artillery salutes appeared in 1943. According to Marshal of the Soviet Union Andrei Eremenko, the Supreme Commander Joseph Stalin was the author of this idea.

First artillery salute took place in Moscow on August 5, 1943 in honor of the liberation Soviet troops the cities of Orel and Belgorod. According to the order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Joseph Stalin, 12 artillery volleys from 124 guns were fired in the capital with an interval of 30 seconds. Firing with blank charges was carried out by 100 anti-aircraft guns and 24 mountain guns of the Kremlin division.

Later in 1943, three categories of salutes were established - depending on the scale of military achievements.

1st degree (24 volleys from 324 guns)- in commemoration of particularly outstanding events: the liberation of the capitals of the republics of the USSR and foreign states, the achievement of the state border by Soviet troops, the end of the war with Germany's allies. The first such salute took place on November 6, 1943 on the day of the liberation of Kyiv, the last on September 3, 1945 in honor of the victory over Japan. In total in 1943-1945. produced 26 salutes of the 1st degree.

2nd degree (20 volleys from 224 guns)- in honor of liberation major cities, completing important operations, forcing large rivers. During the years of the Great Patriotic War, 206 such fireworks took place. The first of them was given on August 23, 1943 in honor of the liberation of Kharkov, the last on May 8, 1945 in honor of the capture of the cities of Jaromerice and Znojmo in Czechoslovakia and Gollabrunn and Stockerau in Austria.

3rd degree (12 volleys from 124 guns)- about "important military-operational achievements": the capture of significant railway, sea and highway points and road junctions, the encirclement of large enemy groups. During the war years, 122 salutes of the 3rd degree were fired: the first was given on August 30, 1943 in honor of the liberation of Taganrog, the last on May 8, 1945 in honor of the capture of the city of Olomouc in Czechoslovakia by Soviet troops.

Salute in honor of lifting the Siege of Leningrad

Salutes were appointed by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief and took place in Moscow. The only exception was the salute of the 1st degree in Leningrad on January 27, 1944 in honor of the complete lifting of the blockade of the city. Unlike the others, the order to carry it out was signed by the commander of the Leningrad Front, General of the Army Leonid Govorov, on behalf of Joseph Stalin.

Sometimes salutes in honor of the victories of the Soviet troops were given several times in the evening. So, five salutes of the 2nd degree were fired on July 27, 1944 (for the capture of the cities of Stanislav, Lvov, Bialystok in Poland; Siauliai, Daugavpils in Lithuania and Rezekne in Latvia) and January 22, 1945 (for the capture of the cities of Insterburg, Hohensalz, Allenstein, Gniesen, Osterode, Deutsch-Aylau in East Prussia). Two salutes of the 1st degree at once and three of the 2nd took place on January 19, 1945 in connection with the liberation of the Polish cities of Krakow, Lodz, Kutno, Tomaszow, Gostynin, Lenchitsa and a number of others. In total, 355 salutes were fired during the Great Patriotic War, accompanied by fireworks of multi-colored signal flares and illuminated anti-aircraft searchlights.

Salute of Victory in Moscow

On May 9, 1945, in commemoration of the victory over Germany, a salute was fired in Moscow from 30 artillery salvos of 1,000 guns. It was accompanied by cross beams of 160 searchlights and the launch of multi-colored rockets.

AT post-war years in the USSR annually on May 9 at 21 o'clock local time (later - at 22 o'clock) a salute was fired from 30 (in 1956-1964 - 20 artillery volleys. In 1985, on the 40th anniversary of the Victory, a salute was fired from 40 volleys.The list of cities where salutes were fired was published in the order of the Minister of Defense of the USSR Among them were constantly Moscow and Leningrad, the capitals of the Union republics, and since the 1960s - hero cities and centers of military districts, fleets and flotillas.

In 1967, a special platoon of fireworks was formed in the Taman division to carry out fireworks in Moscow. Now it bears the name of the 449th separate salute division.

In 1995, the provision that Victory Day on May 9 "is celebrated annually with a military parade and artillery salute" was included in the law "On perpetuating the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945", signed by Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

On August 5, 1943, an artillery salute was held in Moscow in honor of the liberation of the cities of Orel and Belgorod by the Soviet troops. 12 artillery volleys from 124 guns were fired with an interval of 30 seconds. In the photo: fireworks in Moscow, August 5, 1943
ITAR-TASS

Colonel General Pavel Artemyev, Commander of the Moscow Military District and Moscow Defense Zone, and Lieutenant General Daniil Zhuravlev, Commander of the Moscow Air Defense Front, were responsible for holding the first salute. In the photo: fireworks in Moscow, August 5, 1943
ITAR-TASS/B. Levshin

In the photo: fireworks in Moscow in honor of the liberation of Lviv, July 27, 1944
ITAR-TASS

In the photo: salute in honor of the liberation of Kharkov, August 23, 1943
ITAR-TASS/Naum Granovsky

May 9, 1945, in commemoration of the victory over Nazi Germany in Moscow, a special salute was given: 30 artillery volleys of 1 thousand guns, accompanied by 160 cross beams of searchlights and the launch of multi-colored rockets. On the picture:
ITAR-TASS/Nikolai Sitnikov

ITAR-TASS/Vasily Fedoseev

Victory salute in Moscow, May 9, 1945
ITAR-TASS/Nikolai Sitnikov

Victory salute in Moscow, May 9, 1945
ITAR-TASS/P. Vorobyov

Victory salute in Leningrad, May 9, 1945
ITAR-TASS/A. Brodsky

After the war, the tradition of celebrating the Victory Parade with salutes took hold. In the photo: celebration of the decade of the Victory in Moscow, 1955
ITAR-TASS/Nikolai Rakhmanov