Twenty-nine foreign leaders will be in Moscow for the May 9 military parade and commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War (World War II) and the defeat of Nazi/fascism, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov announced today. There are many video clips of individual dignitaries as they arrive in Moscow. Chinese President Xi Jinping’s presence is of special significance, as Putin will also be traveling to Beijing for the September anniversary of China’s defeat of Japan’s aggression against that country, which began with the 1931 invasion of Manchuria and lasted until 1945.
Among the arriving guests are Dilma Rousseff, former President of Brazil, who is now the president of the BRICS New Development Bank. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic arrived safely in Moscow, despite Lithuania and Latvia denying his plane’s flight through their airspace. Between May 7-10, President Vladimir Putin will hold a total of 15 bilateral meetings.
The 72-hour truce Putin declared began at 00:00 hrs on May 8. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reported that every effort is being made by Russian military and security forces to ensure the safety of all participants, given threats and military activity by Kiev’s Nazi regime. He has asked people for their patience and understanding given that certain restrictions on internet and mobile phone use have been imposed for security reasons. In fact, Ukraine unleashed a barrage of drones and rockets at various Russian airports earlier today, in a vain attempt to stop the arrival of the foreign dignitaries.
The nations whose leaders will attend the May 9 events include Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Abkhazia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Venezuela, Vietnam, Guinea-Bissau, Egypt, Zimbabwe, China, D.R. Congo, Cuba, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, Palestine, Serbia, Slovakia, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia and South Ossetia will be present at the Victory Parade. According to TASS, India, Nicaragua and South Africa will be represented at a “notably high level.”
