Leningrad siege parade in St. Petersburg not Kremlin's issue - Peskov
MOSCOW. Jan 25 (Interfax) - The discussion of a military parade in St. Petersburg dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the end of the siege of Leningrad is not an issue to be addressed by the Kremlin, according to presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov.
"The city has a rich tradition of debates, so this is not an issue or a topic for the Kremlin," Peskov said on Friday when asked whether the Kremlin considers the parade necessary.
The parade of troops and military hardware will take place on Palace Square in the center of St. Petersburg on January 27. It will involve 2,000 servicemen of the Western Military District and the Russian Guard, students of the Suvorov and Nakhimov schools, a Yunarmy unit, and hardware, planes, and helicopters.
A group of deputies of the St. Petersburg Legislative Assembly and public figures have spoken out against the parade and criticized ceremonies commemorating the siege.
Hermitage Museum Director Mikhail Piotrovsky has expressed support for the parade.