Soviet-Style Display of Might Fills Red Square

About 70 percent of Russians support the return of military hardware to Red Square, according to opinion polls here.

"The parade demonstrates that should anything happen, we will be able to beat any enemy," said Elena Volkova, 86, a retired teacher who celebrated Victory Day in a Moscow park. "Our military is respected again. And the West envies Russia and the Russian people because Putin was able to restore the country after such a deep collapse in the 1990s."

Under Putin, defense spending increased eightfold, to $40 billion annually. Russia has resumed long-range bomber patrols, which have buzzed U.S. ships in the Pacific and forced NATO jets to scramble in Western Europe. And it has threatened to target missiles at Ukraine, Poland and the Czech Republic in response to the expansion of NATO and U.S. plans to station a missile defense system in Central Europe.

Putin also restored the music from the Soviet anthem.

"Russia wants to create an impression of might, the revival of might, and the return of the Soviet-style parade is part of that," said Alexander Khramchikhin of the Institute for Political and Military Analysis in Moscow.

But for all the martial tub-thumping, the Russian military cannot be compared to its Soviet predecessor. The military is accused of huge waste and corruption, which is blamed for preventing a large-scale modernization of its forces, from basic equipment to new weapons systems. And the army is regarded as such a bastion of brutality and hazing that most young Russian men try to avoid conscription.

A Pentagon spokesman earlier this week derisively dismissed the display of military power. "If they wish to take out their old equipment and take it for a spin and check it out, they're more than welcome to do so," said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary.

But many Russians, nostalgic for lost greatness and proud of Putin's efforts to restore it, dismiss such remarks as nothing more than foreign resentment. Russia, a major energy exporter, is flush with revenues from oil and gas sales, and the government has pledged to continue increasing spending on defense.

"The U.S. doesn't like it that Russia has become more powerful," said Zoya Khmyryova, 59, who was celebrating Victory Day on Friday. "The parade shows the might of our country."