NAYPYIDAW, Jan 4 (AFP) - Myanmar troops and weaponry paraded through the military-built capital Naypyidaw to mark Independence Day Wednesday, days after the junta increased democracy figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi's jail term to 33 years.

Swaths of the Southeast Asian country have been engulfed by fighting between junta troops and anti-coup rebels since the military seized power almost two years ago.

The junta, which recently wrapped up a series of closed-court trials of Suu Kyi, is preparing for fresh elections later this year that the United States has said would be a "sham".

Tanks, missile launchers and armoured cars rolled through the dawn air to a parade ground in the capital, AFP correspondents said, kicking off a military display marking 75 years since Myanmar gained independence from Britain.

Civil servants and high school students followed the troops, accompanied by a military band as 750 "peace" doves were released to mark the occasion, according to state media.

In a speech to assembled troops, junta chief Min Aung Hlaing accused unidentified countries of "intervening in Myanmar's internal affairs" since the February 2021 coup.

The military is meeting with political parties for discussions on "the proportional representation electoral system", he said, without giving further details.

Analysts say the junta may scrap the first-past-the-post system that saw Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy win sweeping majorities in 2020 and 2015.

Russian President Vladimir Putin sent "sincere greetings" and anticipated the "further development" of relations, according to state-run newspaper Global New Light of Myanmar.

Russia is a major ally and arms supplier of the isolated junta, which has said Moscow's invasion of Ukraine almost a year ago was "justified".