Russia has marked the 70th anniversary of VE Day by staging the biggest military parade ever seen in Moscow.

Victory in Europe Day saw the Allied countries formally accept Germany's unconditional surrender of its armed forces.

This weekend's event in Moscow marked a show of force to Western leaders who had stayed away because of Russia's role in the Ukraine crisis.

The parade saw thousands of troops march through the Russian capital's Red Square.

In a speech, Russian president Vladimir Putin said, "in recent decades the basic principles of international co-operation have been ignored ever more frequently. We see how a military-bloc mentality is gaining momentum."

While the leaders of the other World War 2 Allied countries failed to attend the event, Cuba's Raul Castro and China's president Xi Jinping traveled to Moscow. Angela Merkel is also set to visit the Kremlin tomorrow to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Political analyst and blogger Yekaterina Romanovskaya says it's a pity other Western leaders didn't come to show solidarity with the Russian people:

You can see a full gallery of photos from the parade on RT.com.