Female soldiers march in formation in St Petersburg' s Palace Square during a rehearsal of a Victory Day military parade marking the 72 nd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War, the Eastern Front of World War II, on May 5, 2017. Hundreds of military vehicles flooded the streets of Russia during rehearsals for Victory Day parades marking the 72nd anniversary of the Allied victory over Nazi Germany. On the ground, thousands of troops put on well-practiced parade in a huge show of military might. The showepiece started under Joseph Stalin with Vladimir Putin continuing the tradition which has become the highlight of a day of nationalist celebration. More than 70 planes and helicopters dipped and dived over Red Square as Putin’s armies prepared to take over Moscow on May 9. (Photo by Peter Kovalev/TASS)





T-72 B3 battle tanks seen in St Petersburg' s Palace Square during a rehearsal of a Victory Day military parade marking the 72 nd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War, the Eastern Front of World War II, on May 5, 2017. (Photo by Peter Kovalev/TASS)





Russian military cadets parade in Moscow' s Poklonnaya Gora War Memorial Park on May 6, 2017, as part of festive events marking the upcoming 72 nd anniversary of the Soviet Union' s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. (Photo by Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP Photo)





A T-34-85 tank seen in St Petersburg' s Palace Square during a rehearsal of a Victory Day military parade marking the 72 nd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War, the Eastern Front of World War II, on May 5, 2017. (Photo by Peter Kovalev/TASS)





Female soldiers march in formation in St Petersburg' s Palace Square during a rehearsal of a Victory Day military parade marking the 72 nd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War, the Eastern Front of World War II, on May 5, 2017. (Photo by Peter Kovalev/TASS)





A T-34-85 tank seen in St Petersburg' s Palace Square during a rehearsal of a Victory Day military parade marking the 72 nd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War, the Eastern Front of World War II, on May 5, 2017. (Photo by Peter Kovalev/TASS)





Sukhoi Su-24 M bombers fly over St Petersburg' s Palace Square during a rehearsal of a Victory Day military parade marking the 72 nd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War, the Eastern Front of World War II, on May 5, 2017. (Photo by Peter Kovalev/TASS)





A T-34-85 tank seen in St Petersburg' s Palace Square during a rehearsal of a Victory Day military parade marking the 72 nd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War, the Eastern Front of World War II, on May 5, 2017. (Photo by Peter Kovalev/TASS)





Russian military cadets parade in Moscow' s Poklonnaya Gora War Memorial Park on May 6, 2017, as part of festive events marking the upcoming 72 nd anniversary of the Soviet Union' s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. (Photo by Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP Photo)





Servicemen march in formation in St Petersburg' s Palace Square during a rehearsal of a Victory Day military parade marking the 72 nd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War, the Eastern Front of World War II, on May 5, 2017. (Photo by Peter Kovalev/TASS)





Russian female cadets dance ahead of a parade in Moscow' s Poklonnaya Gora War Memorial Park on May 6, 2017, as part of festive events marking the upcoming 72 nd anniversary of the Soviet Union' s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. (Photo by Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP Photo)





A boy shoots a World War II-era machine gun armed with blanks at a weapon exhibition during a military show in St. Petersburg, Russia, on Sunday, April 30, 2017. (Photo by Dmitri Lovetsky/AP Photo)