Russian President Vladimir Putin has presided over the annual Red Square parade celebrating the World War II victory over the Nazis.
Mr Putin's brief speech from a podium in front of Lenin's Mausoleum made no mention of the Soviet Union's allies in the war against fascism and reflected the current, uneasy period of discord between Russia and its one-time allies in the West.
Today's commemoration event was in marked contrast to last year's massive Moscow celebration, which included some 40 world leaders.
Mr Putin called the holiday, Victory Day, "a day of great triumph of our people." He said the war effort represented the people's unity.
He called for international solidarity in the face of current threats, saying "peace, freedom and good-neighbourliness between peoples are the bulwark of a just, democratic world order and global security."
For many in the former Soviet Union, the victory over Nazi Germany stands out as the proudest moment in a troubled past. It was achieved at a tremendous cost, with an estimated 27 million killed and much of the western part of the country devastated.
Communists and their allies held their own march, leading from the Belarus railway station - from which troops had travelled west during the war - to Lubyanka Square, where the headquarters of the KGB - now the Federal Security Service - is located. Police said upward of 10,000 people participated.
AP