A parade has taken place in the centre of Moscow to mark the 60th anniversary of the defeat of Nazism and the end of the Second World War in Europe. An estimated 27 million citizens of the Soviet Union died in the conflict.
The event was attended by 54 world leaders, including the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, and US President George W Bush, who laid wreaths at the walls of the Kremlin.
However, the ceremonies were overshadowed by a row over the Soviet Union's postwar role in Eastern Europe, and specifically the Baltic states.
The Latvian President travelled to Moscow for the event, but Lithuania and Estonia boycotted it, saying their countries were occupied. Russia's President, Vladimir Putin, has refused to apologise.
