President of Russia Vladimir Putin, right, and President of China Xi Jinping talk during a dinner on behalf of the President of the Russian Federation for heads of foreign delegations in the Grand Palace at the Kremlin in Moscow, Thursday, May 8, 2025, ahead of celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany during the World War II. (Sergey Bobylev/Photo host agency RIA Novosti via AP)2025-05-09T07:06:03Z MOSCOW (AP) Russia marked the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II with a massive military parade on Red Square on Friday attended by President Vladimir Putin and a slew of foreign leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva.Victory Day, which is celebrated in Russia on May 9, is the countrys most important secular holiday. A Red Square parade and other ceremonies underline Moscows efforts to project its global power and cement the alliances it has forged while seeking a counterbalance to the West amid the conflict Ukraine that has dragged into a fourth year.World War II is a rare event in the nations divisive history under Communist rule that is revered by all political groups, and the Kremlin has used that sentiment to encourage national pride and underline Russias position as a global power. The Soviet Union lost a staggering 27 million people in what it calls the Great Patriotic War in 1941-45, an enormous sacrifice that left a deep scar in the national psyche.Festivities this year were overshadowed by Ukrainian drone attacks targeting Moscow and severe disruptions at the capitals airports. Russian flag carrier Aeroflot on Wednesday morning canceled more than 100 flights to and from Moscow, and delayed over 140 others because of what officials described as the Ukrainian drone threat.