12.5 thousand people and 429 units of equipment took part in the parade. It was the last parade in the USSR on Red Square, dedicated to the victory in the Great Patriotic War. This is the first Victory Day parade which did not depict Vladimir Lenin's portrait on the Red Square and this practice continues to the present. This parade also featured a float featuring the Soldier-liberator Statue, the first-of-its-kind for a Soviet Victory Day Parade.[1][2][3][4][5] On the eve of the parade, Gorbachev laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. A small parade featuring the Waltham American Legion Band was also held on Red Square following the massive parade, becoming the first American Band to ever play in Moscow.[6][7]
Full order of the marchpast
Military bands
Massed Military Bands of the Moscow Military District
During the transition period from the ground to mobile columns, 30 cadets from the Suvorov and Nakhimov schools marched to the grandstand to bring flowers to the Soviet leadership who attended.[8]
For many republics, this was the last parade held before the independence day of their republic. Among these was the Latvian SSR, whose parade of the Baltic Military District took place on the bank of the Daugava in Riga, being received by Colonel General Fyodor Kuzmin, the commander of the district's troops.[9] Parades were also held in cities such as Minsk (Belarusian SSR) and KyivUkrainian SSR).[10][11]
