Putin on parade: Russia shows off tanks and air defence system to the world

RUSSIA has flaunted its military presence to the world by showing off its advanced air defence missile system in a grand parade in Moscow's Red Square.

The missile system is used to protect its base in Syria and some of the jets that have flown missions there.

It was showed off in the an annual fixture designed to commemorate the Soviet Union's victory over the Nazis in the Second World War.

With bright sunshine pouring down, President Vladimir Putin looked on from a tribune filled with Soviet war veterans.

The Russian leader, whose forces annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014 and are now helping pound Islamic State (ISIS) into oblivion, watched as thousands of Russian troops marched across the famous square to the strains of marshal music.

The authorities, backed by state media, use the annual event to build patriotic sentiment and to underscore the importance of having a strong military to protect the country's borders.

It is also a chance to show how a multi-billion dollar modernisation programme is changing the face of the Russian military by supplying it with new weapons and hardware.

The authorities, backed by state media, use the annual event to build patriotic sentiment and to underscore the importance of having a strong military to protect the country's borders.

It is also a chance to show how a multi-billion dollar modernisation programme is changing the face of the Russian military by supplying it with new weapons and hardware.

Putin, in his speech to the parade, largely confined his remarks to the importance of defeating the Nazis in the Second World War, but also spoke about the need today to fight global terrorism and cooperate with other nations to do that.

A similar, albeit more modest parade, was held at Russia's base in Syria.