Russia celebrates 75th year of end of WW II

Russian President Vladimir Putin presided over various ceremonies in the city of St. Petersburg to mark 75 years of the end of World War II.  A large military parade took place in the city’s Palace Square where more than 2,500 soldiers and 80 units of military equipment took part. The Russian President paid tribute and laid flowers at a monument in Piskarevskoye Cemetery where hundreds of WWII victims are buried. The death toll estimates vary but it is believed that more than a million people lost their lives. Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said, "Today we mourn those who died defending Leningrad, who at the cost of their lives broke through the blockade. We recall those who worked in the besieged city, who, risking themselves, delivered bread and medicine along the Road of Life". The city of St. Petersburg also hosted a series of commemorative events like music concerts and film screenings as a part of the celebration.