By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will meet World War II veterans and representatives of patriotic organisations, and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow Sunday.
These events would be held prior to the May 9 Victory Day celebrations, of which one of the key episodes would be the Victory Parade on Red Square Monday morning. The parade will also be attended by Medvedev.
Victory Day is celebrated to mark the defeat of Nazi Germany by the Soviet Union in World War II.
This year marks the 66th anniversary of the Soviet victory.
The parade will involve 20,000 servicemen and over 100 pieces of military hardware, including Topol-M ballistic missile launchers, S-400 Triumf air defence systems, Pantsyr-S1 air defence systems, Iskander-M missile launchers, Smerch multiple rocket launchers, BTR-80 armoured personnel carriers, and T-90 main battle tanks.
The event will culminate in a flyover by a group of Mi-8 multirole helicopters carrying Russian state and military flags. Moscow authorities have allocated about 102 million rubles ($3.7 million) for the Victory Day parade.