Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and Laotian leader Thongloun Sisoulith will not attend Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9, state-controlled news agency TASS reported on May 7, citing Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov.
Their absence comes as Moscow prepares for one of its biggest national events, commemorating the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. The annual event is a key part of Russian President Vladimir Putin's propaganda efforts to justify its aggression against what the Kremlin falsely describes as "Nazis" in Ukraine.
Previously, Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico cancelled planned public appearances due to health issues, raising doubts that he would make it to the parade.
Despite the no-shows, some foreign leaders are expected to participate. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has arrived in Moscow and will hold a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, Blic newspaper reported on May 7. Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has also landed in the Russian capital, TASS said.
According to Russian state media, other world leaders set to attend are those from Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Palestine, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.
Representatives from North Korea and Russian-controlled Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as well as defense ministers from 31 countries, will also be present.
A number of countries are also contributing troops to the parade. Military personnel from 13 countries — Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Egypt, Laos, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Myanmar, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam — are expected to march through Moscow.
Russia announced a unilateral Victory Day ceasefire on April 28. The so-called "humanitarian" truce, will run from midnight on May 8 to midnight on May 11, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov saying that "all instructions have been given" and "no new instructions" were expected. The Kremlin claimed the pause in hostilities was to mark the holiday and called on Ukraine to follow suit.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the offer as a “theatrical performance” aimed at easing Russia’s diplomatic isolation and creating a secure backdrop for the Victory Day parade.
Experts echoed his concerns, telling the Kyiv Independent that Moscow’s unilateral declaration does not meet the criteria of a legitimate ceasefire, which typically requires mutual agreement, clear terms, and monitoring mechanisms.
Yuliia Taradiuk
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