Immortal Regiment action to be held from balconies in Vologda Region

Russian President Vladimir Putin has postponed the 9 May Victory Day celebrations in Russia because of the coronavirus pandemic.

This year sees the 75th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945, and the annual military parade and Immortal Regiment march have not been postponed before.

Concerns over the spread of the new coronavirus have forced Russian President Vladimir Putin to postpone Moscow’s highly anticipated and revered Victory Day parade. Mr Putin said the parade would still be held later this year, though he did not name a date.

The Immortal Regiment parade always follows Russia's annual Victory Day parade, which marks the anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

Vologda Region Governor Oleg Kuvshinnikov supported an idea of a non-governmental organization War Child to hold an Immortal Regiment action in a new format - from balconies. Compatriots are confident that the victory won by the ancestors at the cost of terrible sacrifices cannot be taken from their descendants. No quarantine can do this.

Residents of the Vologda Region will be able to take part in Immortal Regiment parade from their balconies, carrying portraits of relatives who died in World War II.