KIEV, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- Ukraine will hold a major military parade in Kiev on Aug. 24 to mark the Independence Day, authorities said on Tuesday.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said in a statement that 4,500 servicemen will participate in the parade on Khreschatyk, the central street of the Ukrainian capital.
The parade will involve a total of 24 parade squads from the Ukrainian armed forces, the National Guard, the State Border Service, the State Security Service and other defense and security agencies, the ministry said.
Besides, 250 units of military equipment, including newly-developed samples, will be rolled through Khreschatyk during the parade, it said.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said that 15 foreign countries, including the members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), have confirmed that they will send their troops to participate in Ukraine's Independence Day celebrations.
Ukraine won independence from the former Soviet Union on Aug. 24, 1991, a day marked as Ukraine's Independence Day.
The last year's Ukraine's Independence Day parade involved 4,500 troops, but it featured no military vehicles.
