Kindergarten children dress up as Russian tanks for Victory Day rehearsal

At an apparent rehearsal for the Victory Day parade, footage has surfaced of a small child dressed up as a Russian tank with the lettering “Z” on it.

Russian kindergarten children have dressed up in a range of pro-Russian military outfits to commemorate the victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

Several children were spotted in military uniforms and leather helmets, while others were dressed as WWII-era fighter jets with the Red Star of the Soviet Air Force emblazoned on their wings.

The “Z” lettering has become a mainstream propaganda symbol for the Kremlin.

The letter, which does not exist in the Russian Cyrillic alphabet, was painted on Russian military vehicles weeks before the February 24 invasion of Ukraine.

Some say the symbol was used to play up Russian popular support for the invasion.

It comes amid reports that Russia’s “doomsday plane,” designed to protect Vladimir Putin in the event of a nuclear attack, will make its first appearance in the parade in a decade on Monday.

Victory Day is an important holiday in Russia.

The Soviet Union — made up of Russia, Ukraine, and other Soviet republics — lost 27 million people in World War II, more than any other country.

Russia celebrates Victory Day on May 9, a day after Britain and America when Stalin demanded a separate letter of surrender from the Germans, which arrived a day later.

On Saturday, an RS-24 Yars intercontinental ballistic missile rolled across Red Square as part of a rehearsal in Moscow. Overhead, fighter jets and helicopters flew, troops marched in formation, and self-propelled artillery vehicles rumbled by.

On Monday afternoon, Moscow authorities will cordon off central streets to make way for an “Immortal Regiment” rally, in which civilians carry photos of family members killed in the war.

This year’s military parade across Red Square is missing some of the combat-ready weapons used to take part in the war.

According to the Department of Defense, it should only include two-thirds the number of vehicles from last year.

Some 77 jets and helicopters are expected to fly over Red Square while MiG-29 fighter jets will fly in the shape of the letter Z, a symbol of supporters of the Russian invasion.

The parade is also expected to feature next-generation weapons that have not yet entered mass production or been used on the battlefield.

© evening standard