Russians march in defiance of West and display of unity

A man carries a portrait of Russia's President Vladimir Putin as he attends a demonstration on National Unity Day in Moscow November 4, 2014. REUTERS/Sergei Karpukhin

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of people marched through Moscow under flags and banners hailing Russia as a great power on Tuesday in an annual parade which this year amounted to a show of defiance to the West over Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin did not join the march marking "Unity Day" but later delivered a speech portraying Russia as morally superior in the standoff with the West and saying it had united in the face of "difficult challenges".