A march took place on Moscow's Red Square on Sunday to commemorate the legendary military parade of 1941 and in honor of the country's World War II effort.

The November 7, 1941 parade, which commemorated the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution, was held for the first time after Russia entered the war and aimed to raise morale as Nazi German forces closed in on Moscow. After troops marched past leader Josef Stalin they headed straight for the front line just outside Moscow.

The festive march on Sunday involved more than 5,000 members of various youth groups. As many as 40 participants of the legendary 1941 Red Square parade watched the march from the tribunes in the country's main square.

Prior to the parade Moscow government officials laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and Moscow's newly appointed mayor Sergei Sobyanin thanked the veterans: "We are paying tribute to your heroism and commemorating those who lost their lives in battle."

MOSCOW, November 7 (RIA Novosti)