(VOVworld) – Ukraine marked its Independence Day Sunday (August 24) with a parade of cadets and heavy weaponry through Independence Square in central Kiev, while thousands of Ukrainian people gathered on the street and sang the national anthem.

Rehearsals for the Independence Day military parade in Kiev. (Photo: ITAR-TASS)

Speaking before the parade, Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko said 3 billion USD will be spent on aircrafts, war ships, and helicopters over the next 3 years. Opposition forces in eastern Ukraine mocked the celebrations in Kiev by holding a similar event attended by captured Ukrainian soldiers. They also exhibited weapons taken from the Ukrainian Army, including machine guns and armoured cars, at Lenin Square in Donetsk.