The 1990 October Revolution Parade was the last parade commemorating the 1917

October Revolution The October Revolution, also known as the Great October Socialist Revolution (in Historiography in the Soviet Union, Soviet historiography), October coup, Bolshevik coup, or Bolshevik revolution, was the second of Russian Revolution, two r ...

during the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

's existence. It celebrated the 73rd anniversary of the revolution.

Description and particularities

Among those present were

Mikhail Gorbachev Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev (2 March 1931 – 30 August 2022) was a Soviet and Russian politician who served as the last leader of the Soviet Union from 1985 to dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country's dissolution in 1991. He served a ...

Nikolai Ryzhkov Nikolai Ivanovich Ryzhkov (; ; 28 September 1929 – 28 February 2024) was a Russian politician. He served as the last Premier of the Soviet Union, chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991 and was succeeded b ...

Anatoly Lukyanov Anatoly Ivanovich Lukyanov (, 7 May 1930 – 9 January 2019) was a Russian Communist politician who was the Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR between 15 March 1990 and 4 September 1991. One of the founders of the Communist Party of the ...

Boris Yeltsin Boris Nikolayevich Yeltsin (1 February 1931 – 23 April 2007) was a Soviet and Russian politician and statesman who served as President of Russia from 1991 to 1999. He was a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) from 1961 to ...

(first president of the Russian Federation), and Gavriil Popov. At the chimes of the

Kremlin Clock The Kremlin Clock () or Kremlin Chimes (), also known colloquially in the West as Moscow Clock Tower, is a historic clock on the Spasskaya Tower of Moscow Kremlin. The clock dial is above the main gates to Red Square. For decades, the chimes hav ...

, Gorbachev gave an address to the nation. It would be the second and last time a Soviet leader made an address on

Lenin's Mausoleum Lenin's Mausoleum, also known as Lenin's Tomb, is a mausoleum located at Red Square in Moscow, Russia. It serves as the resting place of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, whose preserved body has been on public display since shortly after his death ...

during an

October Revolution Day October Revolution Day (officially Day of the Great October Socialist Revolution, ) was a public holiday in the Soviet Union and other Soviet-aligned states, officially observed on November 7 from 1927 to 1990, commemorating the 1917 October Re ...

parade. It is the only Soviet parade when the inspection of troops are held after the President's speech and anthem, in contrast to the previous parades which the inspection of troops begin, followed by speech by the parade inspector and anthem, besides one of the few parades when the emblems of the Soviet Republics are not in display on the

Red Square Red Square ( rus, Красная площадь, Krasnaya ploshchad', p=ˈkrasnəjə ˈploɕːɪtʲ) is one of the oldest and largest town square, squares in Moscow, Russia. It is located in Moscow's historic centre, along the eastern walls of ...

other than the 1990 Victory Day Parade, most possibly due to independence of

Lithuania Lithuania, officially the Republic of Lithuania, is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea, bordered by Latvia to the north, Belarus to the east and south, P ...

and

Latvia Latvia, officially the Republic of Latvia, is a country in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is one of the three Baltic states, along with Estonia to the north and Lithuania to the south. It borders Russia to the east and Belarus to t ...

(including

Estonia Estonia, officially the Republic of Estonia, is a country in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and to the east by Ru ...

although independence yet to be declared, but had changed its emblem, flag and official name to Republic of Estonia). After the anthem was played, the commander of the parade Colonel General Nikolai Kalinin reported to the parade inspector

Marshal of the Soviet Union Marshal of the Soviet Union (, ) was the second-highest military rank of the Soviet Union. Joseph Stalin wore the uniform and insignia of Marshal after World War II. The rank of Marshal of the Soviet Union was created in 1935 and abolished in ...

Dmitry Yazov Dmitry Timofeyevich Yazov (; 8 November 1924 – 25 February 2020) was a Marshal of the Soviet Union. A veteran of the Great Patriotic War, Yazov served as Minister of Defence from 1987 until he was arrested for his part in the 1991 August cou ...

. The parade of 1990 was the last military parade to feature military equipment, a sight that would not be seen until the 2008 Moscow Victory Day Parade 18 years later. Providing the music for the parade was the Massed Bands of the

Moscow Military District The Order of Lenin Moscow Military District () is a Military districts of Russia, military district of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Originally it was a district of the Imperial Russian Army until the Russian Empire's collapse in 191 ...

, led by the director of the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, Major General Nikolai Mikhailov. It is also the only parade when the Soviet leadership on the grandstand moved down from the grandstand to lead the civilian demonstration after the military parade.

Full order of the march past

At the front of the parade was the limousine carrying the commander of the parade, Colonel General Nikolai Kalinin. Massed Bands * Corps of Drums of the

Moscow Military Music College The Valery Khalilov Moscow Suvorov Military Music College is one of the leading military music institutions in Russia. It is a separate branch of the Suvorov Military Schools in Russia, and the oldest of them all (opened 1937). History On Augu ...

* Massed Military Bands of the Moscow Military District Ground Column *

Frunze Military Academy The M. V. Frunze Military Academy (), or in full the Military Order of Lenin and the October Revolution, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov Academy in the name of M. V. Frunze (), was a military academy of the Soviet and later the Russian Armed Forces ...

* V. I. Lenin Military Political Academy * Felix Dzerzhinsky Engineering Academy * Military Armored Forces Academy Marshal Rodion Malinovskovy * Military Academy of Chemical Defense and Control * Yuri

Gagarin Air Force Academy Gagarin Air Force Academy () is a Russian military aviation academy located in Monino, Moscow Oblast. The academy prepares high-ranking military personnel for the Russian Aerospace Forces. Among the academy alumni are around 700 Heroes of th ...

* Prof. Nikolai Zhukovsky Air Force Engineering Academy * Naval Engineering School * 98th Guards Airborne Division * Moscow Border Guards Institute of the Border Defence Forces of the KGB "Moscow City Council" * 336th Marine Brigade *

OMSDON The Separate Operational Purpose Division (ODON; ), formerly called OMSDON (a.k.a. ''Felix Dzerzhinsky, Dzerzhinsky Division''), is a rapid deployment internal security Division (army), division of the Internal Troops of the Soviet Union, Int ...

regiment * Suvorov Military Academy *

Nakhimov Naval School The Nakhimov Naval School () or Nakhimov School () is a form of military education for teenagers introduced in the Soviet Union and once also located in other cities. They are named after well-known Russian admiral Pavel Nakhimov. History The f ...

* Moscow Military High Command Training School "Supreme Soviet of the Russian SFSR" Mobile Column * 2nd Guards Tamanskaya Motorized Rifle Division **

BTR-80 The BTR-80 () is an 8×8 wheeled Amphibious vehicle, amphibious armoured personnel carrier (APC) designed in the Soviet Union. It was adopted in 1985 and replaced the previous vehicles, the BTR-60 and BTR-70, in the Soviet Army. It was first de ...

BMP-2 The BMP-2 (''Boyevaya Mashina Pekhoty'', , literally "combat machine/vehicle f theinfantry") is an amphibious infantry fighting vehicle introduced in the 1980s in the Soviet Union, following on from the BMP-1 of the 1960s. Development his ...

* 98th Guards Airborne Division **

BMD-2 The BMD-2 is a Soviet airborne forces, airborne infantry fighting vehicle, introduced in 1985. It is a variant of BMD-1 with a new turret and changes to the hull. BMD stands for ''Boyevaya Mashina Desanta'' (Боевая Машина Десант� ...

* 4th Guards Kantermirovsky Tank Division **

T-80 The T-80 is a main battle tank (MBT) that was designed and manufactured in the former Soviet Union and manufactured in Russia. The T-80 is based on the T-64, while incorporating features from the later T-72 and changing the engine to a gas turbi ...

* Rocket Forces and Artillery **

2S3 Akatsiya The SO-152 (Russian: СО-152), usually known by its Main Missile and Artillery Directorate, GRAU designation 2S3 (), is a Soviet Union, Soviet 152.4 mm self-propelled gun developed in 1968, as a response to the American 155 mm M109 how ...

2S19 Msta The 2S19 Msta-S is a 152.4 mm self-propelled howitzer designed and manufactured by Uraltransmash in the Soviet Union and later in Russia, which entered service in 1989 as the successor to the 2S3 Akatsiya. The vehicle has the running ...

BM-21 Grad The BM-21 "Grad" () is a self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union. The system and the M-21OF rocket were first developed in the early 1960s, and saw their first combat use in March 1969 during the Sino-S ...

RT-2PM Topol The RT-2PM Topol (; NATO reporting name SS-25 Sickle; GRAU designation: 15Ж58 ("15Zh58"); START I designation: RS-12M Topol) was a mobile intercontinental ballistic missile designed in the Soviet Union and in service with Russia's Strategic Miss ...

Music

Providing the ceremonial music for the parade was the massed bands of the Moscow Military District, under the overall direction of Major General Nikolay Mikhaylov. ;Address and inspection *''Moscow Parade Fanfare'' ("Московская Парадная Фанфара") with the tune of ''Comrades, we bravely march!'' ("Смело, товарищи, в ногу!") *

State Anthem of the Soviet Union The State Anthem of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was the national anthem of the Soviet Union and the regional anthem of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic from 1944 to 1991, replacing "The Internationale". Its original ...

(Государственный Гимн Советского Союза) by Aleksandr Aleksandrov *Fanfare (Фанфара) * ''Slow March of the Officers Schools'' (Встречный Марш офицерских училищ) by

Semyon Tchernetsky Semyon Aleksandrovich Chernetsky (born Solomon Isayevich Chernetsky; 188113 April 1950) was a Soviet military composer and conductor. He is credited as the founder of modern Russian military bands. He served as the Senior Director of the Central ...

*''Slow March of the Tankmen'' (Встречный Марш Танкистов) by Semyon Tchernetsky *''Slow March of the Guards of the Navy'' (Гвардейский Встречный Марш Военно-Морского Флота) by Nikolay Ivanov-Radkevich *''

Jubilee Slow March "25 Years of the Red Army" The Jubilee Slow March "25 Years of the RKKA" (), was a Soviet inspection march composed by Semyon Tchernetsky in 1943. Gramophone record n. 265 from the repository of the indicates that the march was dedicated to the last Generalissimo of the Imp ...

'' (Юбилейный встречный марш "25 лет РККА) by Semyon Tchernetsky *''Slow March'' (Встречный Марш) by Dmitriy Pertsev * ''Slow March of the Red Army'' (Встречный Марш Красной Армии) by Semyon Tchernetsky *Slow March ''Victory'' (Встречный Марш «Победа») by Yuriy Griboyedov *''Slow March'' (Встречный Марш) by Severyan Ganichev *''Slow March of the Guards of the Navy'' (Гвардейский Встречный Марш Военно-Морского Флота) by Nikolay Ivanov-Radkevich *''Slow March'' (Встречный Марш) by Viktor Runov *''

Slav'sya "Slav’sya!", () is the name of the final song in the epilogue of Mikhail Glinka's first opera ''A Life for the Tsar'' (1836) and now considered as one of Russia's greatest classical and patriotic anthems of the 19th century. The original versi ...

'' (Славься) by Mikhail Glinka *Signal ''Everyone, listen!'' (Сигнал «Слушайте все!») ;Infantry Column *Fife and drums with trumpet tune of ''Comrades, we bravely march!'' ("Смело, товарищи, в ногу!") by Leonid Radin *March ''Parade'' (Марш "Парад") by Vasiliy Dul'skiy * ''March Victory'' (Марш Победа) by Al'bert Arutyunov *''In Defense of the Motherland'' (В защиту Родины) by Viktor Runov *''On Guard for Peace'' ("На страже Мира") by Boris Diyev *''Phalanx March'' ("Строевой Марш") by Dmitriy Pertsev *March ''Leningrad'' ("Марш Ленинград") by Viktor Runov * ''We are the Army of the People'' (Мы Армия Народа) by Georgiy Movsesyan *''Sports March'' ("Спортивный Марш") by Valentin Volkov *March ''

Victory Day Victory Day is a commonly used name for public holidays in various countries, where it commemorates a nation's triumph over a hostile force in a war or the liberation of a country from hostile occupation. In many cases, multiple countries may ob ...

'' (Марш "День Победы") by David Tukhmanov * ''

Long Live Our State "Long Live Our State" () is a Soviet patriotic song, composed by Boris Alexandrovich Alexandrov with lyrics by Alexander Shilov. The original melody was composed in the winter of 1942 after the Soviet victory in the Battle of Moscow, with the ly ...

'' (Да здравствует наша держава) by Boris Aleksandrov ; Mobile Column and Conclusion of the Military Segment *''We Need One Victory'' ("Нам нужна одна Победа") by Bulat Okudzhava *''March of the Tankmen'' (Марш Танкистов) by Semyon Tchernetsky *'' Warszawianka'' ("Варшавянка") by

Józef Pławiński Józef Pławiński (born in 1853 or 1854, died on 8 August 1880) was a Polish composer and socialist activist. He wrote the music to the popular Polish revolutionary song '' Whirlwinds of Danger'' (''Warszawianka''), to the lyrics written by Wa ...

* '' Invincible and Legendary'' (Несокрушимая и легендарная) by Aleksandr Aleksandrov

Parades in other cities of the USSR

Revolution Day parades and celebrations were also held in many Soviet republics and cities of the

Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (Russian SFSR or RSFSR), previously known as the Russian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic and the Russian Soviet Republic, and unofficially as Soviet Russia,Declaration of Rights of the labo ...

. For the first time in Soviet history, the traditional 7 November parade in

Kyiv Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...

, the capital city of the

Ukrainian SSR The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...

, was the only event held on the holiday, with the parade location in Kyiv was changed from

Khreshchatyk Khreshchatyk (, ) is the main street of Kyiv, the capital city of Ukraine. The street is long, and runs in a northeast-southwest direction from European Square (Kyiv), European Square through the Maidan Nezalezhnosti, Maidan to Bessarabska Sq ...

Street to Victory Square (Ploshcha Peremohy) by order of the

Kyiv City Council Kyiv City Council (, ), also known as Kyivrada (), is the city council of Kyiv municipality, the highest representative body of the city community. The members of city council are directly elected by Kyivans and the council is chaired by the M ...

. It was also limited to a one-hour parade from 9 to 10 am. No full-size tanks were displayed at the parade. The parade was also the last one held in many republics, including the

Tajik SSR The Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, also commonly known as Soviet Tajikistan, the Tajik SSR, TaSSR, or simply Tajikistan, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union which existed from 1929 to 1991 in Central Asia. The Tajik Re ...

and the

Uzbek SSR The Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (, ), also known as Soviet Uzbekistan, the Uzbek SSR, UzSSR, or simply Uzbekistan and rarely Uzbekia, was a union republic of the Soviet Union. It was governed by the Uzbek branch of the Soviet Communist P ...

. On the other hand, the Revolution Day parade in the

Lithuanian Lithuanian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Lithuania, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe ** Lithuanian language ** Lithuanians, a Baltic ethnic group, native to Lithuania and the immediate geographical region ** L ...

capital of

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

, was held contrary to parliamentary decree banning military parades "without a permit". The parade on

Gediminas Avenue Gediminas Avenue () is the main street of Vilnius, where most of the governmental institutions of Lithuania are concentrated, including the government, parliament, Constitutional Court and ministries. It is also the location of cultural institu ...

, which began at 10 am local time and had been rehearsed for over a week, marched past the

Lithuanian Parliament The Seimas of the Republic of Lithuania (), or simply the Seimas ( ; ), is the unicameral legislative body of the Republic of Lithuania. The Seimas constitutes the legislative branch of government in Lithuania, enacting laws and amendments to ...

to the Lenin Monument, where several thousand a rally of pro-Soviet demonstrators was held, with many demonstrators being bused in from outside of

. Chairman of the Supreme Council

Vytautas Landsbergis Vytautas Landsbergis (; born 18 October 1932) is a Lithuanian politician and former Member of the European Parliament. He was the first Speaker of Reconstituent Seimas of Lithuania after its independence declaration from the Soviet Union. He ...

and

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Kazimira Prunskienė Kazimira Danutė Prunskienė (; born 26 February 1943) is a Lithuanian politician who was the first prime minister of Lithuania after the declaration of independence on 11 March 1990, and then Minister of Agriculture in the government of Gedimin ...

both condemned the military parade as "psychological warfare" and an attempt by the Soviet authorities to "intimidate" breakaway republic. A similar situation occurred in the Latvian capital of

Riga Riga ( ) is the capital, Primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Latvia, largest city of Latvia. Home to 591,882 inhabitants (as of 2025), the city accounts for a third of Latvia's total population. The population of Riga Planni ...

, where on 10 October the Supreme Council and the Riga City Executive Committee had announced that Gorbachev's decree on organizing military parades in local cities was not binding in Latvia.

Attempted assassination of Gorbachev

At 11:00 AM, an hour after the parade began, an attempt to kill President Gorbachev was made by Alexander Shmonov. The two bullets he fired missed and he was tackled to the ground by crowds of demonstrators. Shmonov was the last would-be-assassin of the Soviet period before the USSR's dissolution in 1991. He was sent to forced treatment which took a heavy toll on his mental state. Three weeks prior to the parade, Shmonov bought a double-barreled hunting rifle. At the parade, Shmonov took out his rifle and was spotted immediately by the

militsiya ''Militsiya'' ( rus, милиция, 3=mʲɪˈlʲitsɨjə, 5=, ) were the police forces in the Soviet Union until 1991, in several Eastern Bloc countries (1945–1992), and in the Non-Aligned Movement, non-aligned Socialist Federal Republic ...

, and as he was taking aim, an officer ran over and jerked the rifle by the barrel as the crowd jumped on him. Soviet Central television did not broadcast the assassination attempt and resumed its regular broadcasting at 11:25 AM.

Notes

References

External links

* * {{Annual Great October Socialist Revolution Parade

October Revolution Parade The annual October Revolution Day Parade on 7 November () on Moscow's Red Square was a military parade of the Moscow Military District of the Soviet Armed Forces that took place every year from 1919–1990 commemorating the anniversary of the 191 ...

October Revolution parades November 1990 in the Soviet Union 1990 in Moscow Last events 1990 in the Soviet Union November 1990 in Russia