Video. Astana hosts major military parade for WWII 80th anniversary
More than 4,000 troops from across Kazakhstan's armed forces took part in the commemorative event in the capital, which featured tanks, armoured vehicles, missile systems, and a flypast of 66 aircraft and helicopters.
Over 1.2 million Kazakhs served in the Soviet Army during World War II, and an estimated 600,000 soldiers and civilians from Kazakhstan lost their lives in the conflict — a loss President Tokayev described as 'immeasurable' in his address.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
an hour ago
- LeMonde
Russia launches major strikes in retaliation against Ukraine, Kharkiv hit by 'most powerful attack' since start of war
Russia unleashed a barrage of missiles, drones and bombs across Ukraine early Saturday, June 7, killing at least five people as it retaliated for a brazen attack by Kyiv on air bases days earlier. The Kremlin has accelerated its attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks, as direct negotiations have failed to broker an end to the three-year war or even a temporary truce. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga called for Kyiv's western allies to punish Russia for refusing to halt its invasion. "To put an end to Russia's killing and destruction, more pressure on Moscow is required, as are more steps to strengthen Ukraine," he said on social media. Tens of thousands have been killed since Moscow invaded in February 2022, triggering Europe's largest conflict since World War II, destroying cities and villages across eastern Ukraine and forcing millions to flee their homes. The attacks come ahead of an expected prisoner swap, set to take place this weekend – the only concrete agreement to come out of peace talks between the two sides. The Ukrainian air force said Russia had fired 206 drones and nine missiles in the overnight barrage. Ukraine's second largest city of Kharkiv came under "the most powerful attack since the beginning of the full-scale war," Mayor Igor Terekhov said. The northeastern city was home to 1.4 million people before the war and lies around 30 kilometres from the border with Russia. Unprecedented attack The Russian strikes pummelled homes and apartment blocks there, killing at least three people and wounding 17 more, the mayor said. Kharkiv region Governor Oleg Synegubov said the wounded included two children. In the southern city of Kherson, Russian shelling killed a couple and damaged two high-rise buildings, regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. Attacks were also recorded on the Dnipropetrovsk, Odesa and Ternopil regions. Rescuers in the western city of Lutsk, near the Polish border, meanwhile discovered a second fatality from strikes a day earlier, describing the victim as a woman in her 20s. The aerial bombardments come days after Ukraine launched a brazen attack well beyond the frontlines, damaging nuclear-capable military planes at Russian air bases and prompting vows of revenge from Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russia's defense ministry meanwhile said Saturday that its forces had downed 36 Ukrainian drones fired at its territory. Ukraine has been pushing for an unconditional and immediate 30-day truce, issuing its latest proposal during peace talks in Istanbul on Monday. But Russia, which now controls around one-fifth of Ukraine's territory, has repeatedly rejected calls to end its three-year war. The Kremlin said Friday the Ukraine war was "existential" for Russia.
Euronews
16 hours ago
- Euronews
Video. Astana hosts major military parade for WWII 80th anniversary
More than 4,000 troops from across Kazakhstan's armed forces took part in the commemorative event in the capital, which featured tanks, armoured vehicles, missile systems, and a flypast of 66 aircraft and helicopters. Over 1.2 million Kazakhs served in the Soviet Army during World War II, and an estimated 600,000 soldiers and civilians from Kazakhstan lost their lives in the conflict — a loss President Tokayev described as 'immeasurable' in his address.
LeMonde
18 hours ago
- LeMonde
D-Day veterans return to Normandy 81 years later to honor the fallen
Veterans gathered on Friday, June 6, in Normandy to mark the 81 st anniversary of the D-Day landings – a pivotal moment of World War II that eventually led to the collapse of Adolf Hitler's regime. Along the coastline and near the D-Day landing beaches, tens of thousands of onlookers attended the commemorations, which included parachute jumps, flyovers, remembrance ceremonies, parades and historical reenactments. Many were there to cheer the ever-dwindling number of surviving veterans in their late 90s and older. All remembered the thousands who died. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth commemorated the anniversary of the D-Day landings, in which American soldiers played a leading role, with veterans at the American Cemetery overlooking the shore in the village of Colleville-sur-Mer. French Minister for the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu told Hegseth that France knows what it owes to its American allies and the veterans who helped free Europe from the Nazis. "We don't forget that our oldest allies were there in this grave moment of our history. I say it with deep respect in front of you, veterans, who incarnate this unique friendship between our two countries," he said. Hegseth said France and the United States should be prepared to fight if danger arises again, and that "good men are still needed to stand up." "Today the United States and France again rally together to confront such threats," he said, without mentioning a specific enemy. "Because we strive for peace, we must prepare for war and hopefully deter it." The June 6, 1944, D-Day invasion of Nazi-occupied France used the largest-ever armada of ships, troops, planes and vehicles to breach Hitler's defenses in western Europe. A total of 4,414 Allied troops were killed on D-Day itself. In the ensuing Battle of Normandy, 73,000 Allied forces were killed and 153,000 wounded. The battle – and especially Allied bombings of French villages and cities – killed around 20,000 French civilians between June and August 1944. The exact number of German casualties is unknown, but historians estimate between 4,000 and 9,000 men were killed, wounded or missing during the D-Day invasion alone. Nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed on D-Day. Of those, 73,000 were from the US and 83,000 from Britain and Canada. Forces from several other countries were also involved, including French troops fighting with General Charles de Gaulle. The Allies faced around 50,000 German forces. More than two million Allied soldiers, sailors, pilots, medics and other people from a dozen countries were involved in the overall Operation Overlord, the battle to wrest western France from Nazi control that started on D-Day. Le Monde with AP Reuse this content
