MOSCOW, April 7. /TASS/: Four MiG-31K attack aircraft in the role of Kinzhal missile carriers and four Su-57 fifth-generation fighter jets will take part in an aerial display to be held as part of the May 9 Victory Day celebrations on Moscow's Red Square, a military source told TASS on Tuesday.
"The aerial display of the parade will involve 55 planes and 20 helicopters: 75 aircraft in total to mark the 75th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War, including four Kinzhal systems and four Su-57," he said.
According to the source, the group will also comprise a Beriev A-50 early warning and control aircraft, Il-76 transport planes, Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers, Tu-22M3 long-range strategic and maritime strike bombers, Su-24 and Su-34 attack aircraft. A Tu-160 plane and an Il-78 tanker will simulate aerial refueling during the parade.
The group will also include MiG-29, Su-30 and Su-35S fighter jets, as well as Mi-26, Mi-8, Ka-52, Mi-35 and Mi-28N helicopters.
On Monday, the first joint ground and air rehearsal of the May 9 V-Day parade took place at the Alabino training ground near Moscow.
Earlier, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that there had been no decisions to change the plans for the May 9 V-Day parade in Moscow in view of the coronavirus risks, but the situation continues to be monitored closely. A final decision whether to hold the festive events on the occasion of the 75th V-Day anniversary has not been made yet, he said. The Kremlin will thoroughly examine all circumstances. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov, too, said earlier that preparations for the parade proceeded as expected and there had been no decisions to change the date or agenda.
A parade on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War is due to be held in Moscow’s Red Square on May 9. On April 1, the crews of 30 vintage World War II T-34 tanks began rehearsals at the Alabino proving ground. The group traditionally opens the show of military vehicles in V-Day parades.
So far, a total of 6,343 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 406 patients having recovered from the virus. Most cases of the infection have occurred in Moscow (4,484) The country’s latest data indicates 47 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.
