The ceremony of presenting the Standard of the Russian Armed Forces was held on Cathedral Square of the Kremlin. The guards of honour in attendance represented three branches of the Russian Armed Forces. Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov received the Standard of the Russian Armed Forces from the Supreme Commander-in-Chief.
The federal law approved the Standard as an official symbol of the Russian Armed Forces in December 2000. It is kept at the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. Mr Putin reminded that the Standard had been raised over the Reichstag building to celebrate the great victory over Nazism, and said that presenting the Standard on the eve of VE Day was symbolic. He saw this as a succession of legendary military traditions, first of all, the tradition to win.
In the evening, President Putin attended a gala concert dedicated to the 56th anniversary of victory in the Great Patriotic War.