Russia is one of the few countries in Europe, regularly conducting large military parades. “Газета.Ru” analyzed the cost of the Victory parade on red square and compared the scale with the counterparts abroad.
The annual military parade in Central Moscow for quite some time for the Russians is a familiar event, almost everyday. The may day parade presented it interesting with new weapons and involved them in friendly armies, but not the fact of its carrying out.
At the same time the annual parade, timed to the same date for the modern world rare, almost out of the ordinary. In most countries, parades, if carried out, it is much rarer. As a rule, they are confined to the anniversaries of certain events in the history of the country. This was originally a Victory parade, always held only in jubilee years (1965, 1975, 1985, 1990). However, since 1996 the parade on red square takes place annually.
Probably, many countries would conduct parades more often if not for the high cost of the event and organizational complexity.
A billion for “local destruction”
On the eve of parade 2013, Deputy mayor for housing, said in an interview with the then the cost of the festive events in the Russian capital.
“Every year is different. It all depends on whether there is local destruction. I already talked about the fact that we all actifoam [compiled acts]. Roughly around 50 million, where some 60, some 70 year”, — said the official.
According to the Deputy mayor, the money for the parade lists Moscow from the Federal budget. It is obvious that any more money spent on the parade “inside” of the military Department — a transfer and support of troops.
“The Ministry of defense troops outputs, feeds the troops, the troops rehearses, conducts training, resolves a number of other issues: contains equipment, prepares equipment. And as for all the economic support — to clean the street, to water, to electricity, to provide security, provide traffic control, is all done at the level of the city government and its services” — so formulated the distribution of expenditure city official.
In recent years, growing as the dollar and the scale of events.
In 2015 at jubilee parade left, according to media reports, as many as 810 million rubles.
According to estimates RBC, on the eve of the Victory day parade 2016 have been awarded numerous tenders totaling approximately 209,7 mln., of which only the clouds to disperse spent about 85 million it is Possible that this difference in expenditure is that published each year is only part of the data on the money spent. However clear the approximate scale of spending — in the range from several hundred million to one billion roubles for the Moscow parade.
Indeed, on the background of the 3 trillion rubles that Russia spends in 2016 on national defense, the cost of holding the parade on red square has been modest. However, many of these expenses may seem unnecessary — for example, in light of the fact that the Western countries such a parade had taken place.
In the United States held only a small paramilitary processions in honor of the inauguration of the President, independence Day and memorial Day, which is celebrated in late may in honor of Americans killed on the battlefield. In these events almost never used military equipment.
In China, parades in honor of the Day of the PRC celebrated October 1. The last time a full-scale parade in honor of this milestone held at the Beijing Tiananmen square in 2009, when the people’s Republic of China celebrated the 60th anniversary.
In addition, in September 2015 Beijing conducted an extensive review of troops in honor of the 70th anniversary of the end of world war II, however, and it was a one-time action annually such parades are not held.
In South Asia in the parade annually compete for India and Pakistan, marking thus its main national holidays. In the Republic Day parade in Delhi involves various kinds of troops, but almost not activated military equipment. A small column of tanks and rocket launchers look modest in comparison with costumed show that the Indians are satisfied at the end of the parade — songs, dances and Hindu deities. The big parade on the parade ground in Islamabad vaguely reminiscent of Moscow — it involved military aircraft and heavy machinery (including Russian), however, looks much more modest.
The General background stands out North Korea, which regularly holds large parades; the last such event was held in October of 2015, when we celebrated the 70th anniversary of the workers ‘ party of Korea. The media called the parade the largest in history.”
Demonstration of types of troops and heavy equipment was topped by a large-scale torchlight procession of young people of the DPRK. South Korea, in turn, holds an annual parade in the professional holiday of the military. These actions seem logical in connection with the increased military ambitions of the traditional enemy of Seoul.
In honor of his chief military holiday — the Day of the army — military parade conducts and Iran. In 2016, the Iranian military presented at the parade of missiles from part purchased from Russia s-300 systems. The main opponent of Iran — Saudi Arabia — has parades as summarizing the results of military exercises, just such a parade was held in March with the participation of 20 other Islamic countries. As the upcoming event exercises, the parade was designed to show the readiness of the Saudi coalition to fight terrorists in Syria (in Syria this year to hold the parade will be just the Russians). In Turkey the annual parade celebrating the victory in the war for independence in the early 1920s.
In Western Europe large-scale regular parades conducted only France — once a year, several thousand French military marching through Paris in honor of Bastille Day. Among other things, on the Champs-Elysees chased tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and missile systems to the French army; in addition, over Paris flying aircraft.
Specific data on the cost of military parades, the majority of organizers do not lead.
According to French media reports, the parade in Paris costs the country approximately €3.5 million — that is slightly cheaper than its Moscow counterpart.
In the eye catches the difference between the conventional “East” and “West”. From NATO powers regular major parades holds only in France, but in Asia are engaged in virtually all countries. Maybe this is because almost each of them has a long-term opponent, which is necessary to demonstrate its military power. However, in the same China consider it necessary to note only major parade dates. Among the CIS countries also have a tendency to change parades: to refuse the parade on May 9 in Ukraine this year was joined by Kazakhstan and Belarus.
If you recognize a secondary function of the parade as a show of force in front of a potential enemy, then it should be considered as following the tradition which has developed in Russia. However, this tradition looks not fundamental — for the first time in the parade newbinary spent a year only in 1996.
Head of European security Department Institute of Europe Dmitry Danilov believes that, although the parade is the military-diplomatic message, yet its main function is to note the domestic holiday, which is, in fact, “a real day of national unity”.
“In this situation we are talking about what is actually in every family there were those who defended their homeland. This is not just a celebration of,and tribute to each of our loved ones. Someone says that we should not spoil the stone pavement in red square, someone in today’s world do not need to show military might and saber-rattling. All these points of view have right to exist, but it seems to me that the starting point should be an understanding that this is really a national holiday,” emphasizes Daniel.
At the same time, acknowledges the expert, a lot depends on how “beat” this holiday. According to Danilova, conducting an annual parade, Russia can both meet domestic needs and to serve external political signs. Thus, the representatives of the Chinese leadership, visited in 2015 at the parade of the 70th anniversary of the Victory in Moscow, impressed by what he saw and, according to the official representative of the Chinese foreign Ministry, “expects that Russia will hold another successful ceremony this year”.
