Russian servicemen march during the Victory Day parade in Moscow May 9, 2016. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

MOSCOW, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Russia will hold military parades in 28 cities to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War on May 9, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Tuesday.

Victory Day celebrations will be held in more than 400 cities across Russia, with 28 of them to stage military parades, Shoigu said at a defense ministry teleconference.

He noted that over 140,000 servicemen will take part in these festivities, and more than 2,000 items of weapons and military equipment, 149 aircraft, as well as ships and submarines, will be involved.

At the height of the Victory Day celebrations, a grand military parade at the Red Square in the center of Moscow will feature Russia's latest air defense technology, said Shoigu.

The annual commemoration of the hard-won victory in the Great Patriotic War -- Russia's term for World War II -- has become a source of national self-esteem for the Russian people.