Russian soldiers in World War II uniforms have paraded across Red Square to mark the anniversary of Soviet forces marching to war against Nazi Germany.

Soviet troops marched on Moscow's Red Square on Nov 7, 1941 and headed straight to the front just dozens of km outside the city.

Nov 7 was for decades a holiday celebrating the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution that ushered in more than 70 years of Soviet rule.

But the parade on Friday reflected government efforts to draw attention from the revolution and celebrate Soviet-era achievements, particularly victory in World War II.

Former President Vladimir Putin abolished a holiday on Nov 7 four years ago. Communists planned a rally later Friday.

Missile plan causes concern

The French presidency of the European Union expressed on Friday "strong concern" over a Russian plan to station new missiles near Poland's border.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev pledged on Wednesday to station the missiles in the Kaliningrad region, a Russian enclave bordering EU members Poland and Lithuania, in response to US plans for an anti-missile system in the region.

"The presidency of the European Union council expresses its strong concern after the announcement by President Medvedev ... of the deployment of a complex of Iskander missiles in Kaliningrad," the presidency said in a statement.

"This announcement does not contribute to the establishment of a climate of trust and to the improvement of security in Europe, at a time when we wish for a dialogue with Russia on questions of security in the whole of the continent," it said.

The United States says its own missile system, parts of which are due to be deployed in Poland and in the Czech Republic, is not a threat to Russia but a protection for European allies against an emerging threat in the Middle East.

The missiles dispute comes ahead of a Nov 14 summit between Russia and the 27-nation EU in the French city of Nice.

Agencies

(China Daily 11/08/2008 page11)