Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The annual Russian celebration has already been scaled back due to the situation in Ukraine.
During the Russian celebrations on Victory Day, happening on May 9 every year, the military parade in Moscow is usually attended by a large number of foreign officials or head of states.
But the Victory Day-parade 2026 will be a shadow of the spectacle it usually is, as the Russian Ministry of Defence has announced that there will be no armor in the parade due to safety reasons.
In 2025, leaders from nearly 30 nations attended the celebrations in Moscow, but there’s a good chance that the guest list for this year will be significantly shorter.
At least if they listen to the advice from the Ukrainian president, Volodomyr Zelenskyy.
The holiday truce
Russia declared a temporary stop to the fighting for its big May 9 celebration.
The defense ministry promised all units would pause combat operations, and they warned against any disruptions from Kyiv.
President Volodymyr Zelensky is not buying it. He noted that a recent truce attempt saw over a thousand Russian violations within hours.
“They want permission from Ukraine to hold their parade, so they can safely march onto the square for one hour once a year, and then go back to killing our people and waging war again,” Zelenskyy stated in a recent evening address on May 7.
Staying away
Moscow claims it did not even ask international leaders to come this year.
Kremlin official Yuri Ushakov told the RIA Novosti news agency that they deliberately avoided inviting foreign guests.
Yet some friendly nations apparently reached out to Kyiv about attending the event.
The Ukrainian leader had a clear warning for anyone thinking about traveling to the Russian capital. “An odd desire… these days. We don’t recommend it,” he added according to The Kyiv Independent.
One European visitor
Despite the tension, one European Union leader is making the trip.
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico plans to visit Moscow, but he will skip the actual military display.
His deputy foreign minister explained that Fico might use the trip to pass messages directly to President Vladimir Putin.
The visit has caused a major diplomatic stir. Officials in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania completely banned the Slovak leader from flying through their airspace to reach Russia.
Iron ring around Moscow
Ahead of the Victory Day parade on Saturday, the Kremlin has allegedly ramped up security around the Russian capital.
More than 40 air defence systems have allegedly been moved from Ukraine and other areas of Russia to be set up in and around Moscow, and there are also reports of combat-ready troops being called home from the front in Ukraine in order to be part of the parade.
The Kremlin has also threatened Kyiv with attacking the Ukrainian capital if Ukraine attacks during the Russian-imposed truce.
Sources: RIA Novosti, Kyiv Independent, Ukrainian Government
