Military hardware and drones on parade in Moscow's Red Square for Victory Day

Russia has included combat drones used in the war in Ukraine for the first time in its annual Victory Day parade, with this year also marking 80 years since the end of the Second World War.

The display of military power took place under the watchful eye of Russian president Vladimir Putin, with Chinese president Xi Jinping at his side.

The drones were mounted on trucks driven across Red Square in Moscow alongside traditional military hardware.

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More than 11,500 Russia troops paraded through the square, including 1,500 who recently fought in Ukraine.

There were also contingents from China, North Korea, Vietnam and Mongolia, and other countries aligned with Moscow.

Thousands of North Koreans have also fought alongside Russian troops in Ukraine, helping Moscow retake the Kursk region. Many of them are thought to have died.

Mr Putin was seen greeting some of North Korean troops personally at the parade.

World leaders from 27 countries were also present, including Brazil and Serbia, although no Western leaders attended.

To mark Russia's victory commemorations, Mr Putin had declared a full three-day ceasefire in Ukraine, which started at midnight on 8 May and is due to end at midnight on 11 May, Moscow time.

Ukraine has accused Russia of violating this ceasefire on multiple occasions, although Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said he would be willing to engage in a truce if Moscow would fully comply.

Ukraine has previously attacked targets in Moscow with drones, but this year's parade passed off peacefully, despite heightened security fears.

At the event, President Putin mostly spoke about Russia's actions during the Second World War and made few references to Ukraine.

In his speech, he also acknowledged the part that Allied armies played in the Second World War.

The Soviet Union lost 27 million people during WW2, including many millions in Ukraine.

They succeeded in pushing Nazi troops back to Berlin, where the red Soviet Victory Banner was famously raised in 1945.