The guard of honor of the three services of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) take part in the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2015. (Xinhua/Jia Yuchen)

 

The guard of honor of the three services of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) take part in the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2015. (Xinhua/Jia Yuchen)

 

The guard of honor of the three services of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) take part in the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2015. (Xinhua/Jia Yuchen)

 

The guard of honor of the three services of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) take part in the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2015. (Xinhua/Jia Yuchen)

 

The guard of honor of the three services of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) take part in the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2015. (Xinhua/Jia Yuchen)

 

The guard of honor of the three services of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) take part in the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2015. (Xinhua/Jia Yuchen)

 

The guard of honor of the three services of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) take part in the military parade marking the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, in Moscow, Russia, May 9, 2015. (Xinhua/Jia Yuchen)

 
Chinese President and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin stood together as they watched the grand military parade through Moscow's Red Square for the 70th anniversary of it's Victory Day in World War II on Saturday, with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Honor Guard joining and marching right behind the host troops as part of 10 foreign Honor Guards invited, demonstrating the close ties between the two armies and the two countries.

The Honor Guard held a final drill of performances a day before the parade.

Video footage of the PLA Honor Guard marching down Moscow's streets while singing the Russian wartime song Katyusha in both Russian and Chinese has gone viral online.

The Chinese Honor Guard, the largest of the 10 foreign groups, also sang the Russian wartime song Katyusha in both Russian and Chinese before the parade, which attracted Russian troops and citizens to join the chorus in rehearsals and it was really touching, Captain Li Bentao told the Global Times.

In previous rehearsals, the song Katyusha made Russian troops emotional, with many soldiers singing along. It is a song widely popular in both China and Russia, a song that honors the patriotism and optimism of soldiers, and a song that represents the friendship between the people, Han Jie, deputy troop captain, said.

It is a song widely popular in both China and Russia, a song that honors the patriotism and optimism of soldiers, and a song that represents the friendship between the people, Han added.

It is the fifth overseas mission but the first to Russia for the troop, which is the largest with a new outfit. As the representative of the Chinese military and the nation, its participation in Russia's victory parade showcases the accomplishments of China's national and military development and helps build a positive image, Han explained.

"Russian is hard though, we sometimes have to mark the letters using Chinese pronunciations and devise ways to memorize the lyrics," Zhang Hongjie, national flag bearer of the troop, told the Global Times.

Stationed in Moscow's northern suburbs, the troop is focused on the mission unaware of nicknames such as "the Elves" given to them by proud Chinese netizens. The 112-man troop have an average age of 22 years and height of 1.88 meters.

"Their march is as good as our own," two Russian guards at the PLA Honor Guard's station told the Global Times.

As experienced troops for military parades and the representative of the PLA, the Honor Guard is a group of highly dedicated and loyal soldiers with unique skills to promote the national image. 

Chinese netizens have called the troop "cute and handsome and make people feel safe." 

The troop said it brought the Chinese pop music hit Little Apple to the event to entertain the crowd.