MOSCOW (VINnews) — Several world leaders and officials are skipping Russia’s annual Victory Day parade in Moscow, signaling deepening diplomatic rifts amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
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Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev canceled his planned visit to the Russian capital, citing domestic commemorations for his late father, former President Heydar Aliyev. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aide offered only a brief explanation, saying Aliyev was attending “internal events in honor of Aliyev-senior.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán also declined to attend the parade, though no official reason was immediately provided. Orbán, one of Putin’s few allies within the European Union, has increasingly walked a diplomatic tightrope between Moscow and Brussels.
Pakistan has canceled its participation altogether. Meanwhile, India, Indonesia and the Republic of South Africa will send delegations from their respective defense ministries. Iran will be represented by its ambassador.
In a separate move, the Baltic states — Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia — have closed their airspace to flights headed to Moscow for the occasion, further isolating Russia’s ceremonial show of military strength.
Victory Day, observed on May 9, commemorates the Soviet Union’s triumph over Nazi Germany in World War II. This year’s event comes amid heightened international scrutiny of Russia’s foreign policy and its ongoing war in Ukraine.
