Russian President Vladimir Putin shows off military hardware at Victory Day Parade

RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin has shown off his hypersonic missile and “Terminator” tank while accusing others of trying to “corrupt history” by ignoring the Soviet Union’s role in World War Two. 

Speaking at a Victory Day parade in Moscow to mark the 73rd anniversary of the Nazi defeat, the Russian leader said the “outcome of World War II was determined by the Soviet Union, that this great sacrificial feat was achieved by our soldiers and our people.”

He failed to mention the role of US and British allies, and instead accused unnamed forces of trying to “cross out this deed” and trying to “distort the events of the war ... and corrupt history itself.”

“We will always take pride in the fact that the Soviet people stood its ground and did not yield to the cruel enemy, while some countries preferred the disgrace of capitulation, hypocritical compromise or direct co-operation with the Nazis,” he said.

“Everyone had one Motherland. Everyone fought as much as they could, until the last round, until the last drop of blood.”

Standing alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, Putin watched 13,000 military personnel march through Red Square, as well as more than 150 examples of military equipment.

The troops were followed by new equipment including a Terminator tank designed to be used in warzones, as well as a MiG-31 supersonic interceptor jet carrying a high-precision Kinzhal missile.

Putin presented the Kinzhal missile system in March during his state of nation address, saying it could “overcome all existing and, I think, prospective air and missile defence systems.”

A pair of SU-57 stealth fighter planes, a fifth generation jet reportedly tested in Syria, also took part in the fly-past. It also included drones for the first time, plus a de-mining robot and snowmobile.

Around 1.6 million people recognised as World War II veterans are still alive in Russia, the labour ministry said. Hollywood star and Putin supporter Steven Seagal watched from the sidelines.

It comes as Russian tensions with Western allies are at their most extreme since the Cold War following accusations of Russian meddling in foreign elections and actions in Syria and the Ukraine.

President Putin will meet with PM Netanyahu on Wednesday, one day after President Trump decided to withdraw the US from the Iran nuclear deal. European allies said they remain committed to keeping the plan in place, with Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov noting his leader’s “deep concern” over the US decision.