site.btaDay of Valour and the Bulgarian Armed Forces to Be Marked with Military Parade in Sofia

The Day of Valour and the Bulgarian Armed Forces, May 6, will be marked with a blessing of the colours and a military parade in Sofia, the Defence Ministry said.

Participating in the military parade in Prince Alexander I Square will be more than 700 service members in eight ceremonial formations from the National Guards Unit, the Land Forces, the 2nd Tundzha Mechanized Brigade, the Air Force, the Navy, the Joint Special Operations Command, the Vasil Levski National Military University and the Nikola Vaptsarov Naval Academy.

This year's parade will not feature military materiel.

The parade will also feature the Guards' Brass Band and the brass band of the Land Forces.

Defence Minister Atanas Zapryanov, the Chief of Defence, Admiral Emil Eftimov, and high-ranking officers of the Bulgarian Armed Forces will participate in the May 6 ceremony. Invitees include President Rumen Radev, who is Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Members of Parliament, and representatives of the Council of Ministers, the Diplomatic Corps and military patriotic unions.

A Mi-17 helicopter carrying the national flag will fly over Prince Alexander I Square, along with two Cougar helicopters. The national anthem will be accompanied by a 20-gun salute.