Russian President Vladimir Putin ignored calls by Baltic nations for atonement for five decades of Soviet occupation yesterday and defiantly hailed the Red Army as the liberator, not the oppressor, of eastern Europe.

The three Baltic states, backed by the European Union, have sparked anger in Russia on the eve of lavish Moscow celebrations to mark the defeat of Nazi Germany by saying the Allied victory marked the beginning of subjugation by Soviet occupiers.

"Our people not only defended their homeland, they liberated 11 European countries," Putin said, after laying a wreath at a monument to Russia's war dead.

Putin opened two monuments at a memorial park on Moscow's outskirts as Special Forces imposed a tight security cordon around Red Square and the Kremlin - focal point of 60th anniversary festivities that US President George W. Bush and other world leaders will attend.

The biggest potential security threat is from Chechen separatist rebels who have staged deadly bomb attacks at victory celebrations in the past.