Russians See a Glimpse of Their Glory

In a day of mourning and splendid pageantry reminiscent of Russia’s powerful past, world leaders gathered Monday under a towering Soviet emblem in Red Square to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II.

President Bush sat in the place of honor next to Russian President Vladimir V. Putin as 7,000 service members marched in crisp parade formation to the tolling of the Kremlin bells, the roar of military chants and the flapping of the red hammer-and-sickle banners that for decades after the war symbolized Russia’s enmity with its wartime Allies.

The celebration of the Allied victory in Europe “marks the day that the world was saved,” the Russian president told more than 50 world leaders and 4,000 war veterans gathered near Vladimir I. Lenin’s tomb.

“The lessons of the war send us the warning that indifference, temporizing and playing accomplice to violence inevitably lead to tragedies on a planetary scale,” Putin said. “Faced with the real threat of terrorism today ... it is our duty to defend a world order based on security and justice and on a new culture of relations among nations that will not allow a repeat of any war, neither ‘cold’ nor ‘hot.’ ”

White House officials described the event as understated compared with past displays of military might, and said Bush was comfortable in a setting that included swooping Russian military jets and flags bearing Lenin’s image.

Not long after Bush’s departure for the former Soviet republic of Georgia, tanks rolled into Red Square for a dazzling song, dance and light spectacle that included a reenactment of the World War II battles of Moscow and Stalingrad, along with folk dancing, grand waltzes and a fireworks display.

Russia’s two days of celebration virtually closed down central Moscow and allowed the nation to temporarily recapture an era when the Red Army was instrumental in bringing Germany to its knees and the Soviets later matched the U.S. as a nuclear power.

Clearly, that loss of world stature has been much on Putin’s mind. Overseeing a depleted army, a nation with millions in poverty and a former empire increasingly dominated by Western-leaning democracies, the Russian president recently described the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 as “the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century.”

Yet in a sign that Russia is committed to burying the enmity of the past, if not the grandeur, Putin and Bush chatted pleasantly during the parade and posed for photos, smiling with their wives under a chilly spring drizzle before taking their seats.

The two governments reported that they were near agreement on a long-disputed legal protocol that would clear the way for millions of dollars of continued U.S. assistance in dismantling Russian nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

Throughout his roughly 24-hour visit, Bush was careful to keep any criticism of Putin’s increasingly authoritarian policies out of the public view during an event whose purpose, White House officials said, was celebratory.

“Since the era of global confrontation came to an end, we have made considerable progress toward the noble aim of ensuring peace and tranquillity in Europe,” Putin said. “We all share a common grief, common memory and common duty to future generations.... I am sure that there can be no alternative to our brotherhood and friendship.”

World leaders, including German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and Chinese President Hu Jintao, accompanied Bush and Putin after the parade to lay a large wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, then repaired to meetings before Monday night’s spectacle in Red Square.

On a holiday normally characterized by massive street celebrations, the center of the capital seemed like a ghost town, except for the festivities played out before invited guests. Nearly 30,000 police officers and military troops cordoned off the Kremlin area, herded the few pedestrians who ventured downtown onto side streets and stood stone-faced against the public’s angry remonstrances.

“They won’t let anyone in. Putin is scared. He’s afraid of terrorist acts, and he’s afraid of his own people,” said Marta Kudryashova, 72.

“They organized this event for themselves. It’s an outrage,” said Alexander Baronov, a freelance writer.

Yet outside the city center, tens of thousands of Muscovites flocked to city parks for concerts, dances and celebrations. Under the towering World War II monument at Victory Park, hundreds of elderly veterans strolled slowly along the wide paths as passersby rushed up to have their photos taken with them, or hand them small bouquets.

“Thank you for what you did for us.... You are so beautiful,” a middle-aged woman said softly to Vladimir Makarov, 86, a former tank officer.

“No, I’m old,” he replied with a grin. “You should have seen me when I was young.”

Yegor Cherkasov, 90, said his eyesight was nearly gone. “I would be enjoying this if I could see it, or if I could hear better,” he said.

Sergei Belyankin, 23, tucked his grandfather’s arm protectively around his own. “This is my grandfather,” he said. “I am very, very proud of him.”

Outside the Bolshoi Theater, women clutching yellowed songbooks sang old war songs, alternately vibrant and mournful, to the strains of sad accordions. Two grizzled veterans bristling with medals downed shots of cognac and ripe cucumbers, bending their heads together and occasionally exploding with laughter.

“I gave this guy two battalions,” roared one, “and he destroyed them!”

A few feet away, an elderly man in a green military jacket suddenly pulled his white-haired wife into his arms. They danced across the sidewalk to the music of the accordion, her red sweater almost as bright as her shining eyes.

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Times staff writer Peter Wallsten contributed to this report.