World Leaders Arrive in Moscow as Ukraine Threatens to Kill Them

The plane carrying Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić to Moscow for Russia's Victory Day celebrations on May 9 was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Baku, Azerbaijan, amid reports of airspace closures and regional tensions. Initially, Serbian media attributed the diversion to the temporary closure of Moscow's airports due to security concerns. However, later updates clarified that the landing had been pre-planned for refueling purposes. After a brief stop in Baku, the aircraft resumed its journey toward Moscow.

Photo: kremlin.ru by Александр Казаков, https://creativecommons.org/public-domain/pdm/

Victory Parade

President Vučić, under mounting international pressure not to attend the celebrations amid the ongoing Ukraine conflict, reaffirmed his decision to participate in the 80th anniversary of Victory Day in the Russian capital.

"I told [Russian President Vladimir] Putin that I would come to Russia on May 9. A promise is a promise — I made it to my people and to everyone,” Vučić stated.

In response to his visit, Lithuania and Latvia denied Vučić's aircraft permission to cross their airspace en route to Moscow, underscoring growing tensions between NATO-aligned countries and Russia.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Moscow to take part in the commemorations. His visit is expected to include both the Victory Day parade and a full state visit. Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier named Xi as his principal guest.

According to Russian officials, leaders from 29 countries are expected to attend the Victory Day parade. Among them are the presidents of Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cuba, Serbia, Vietnam, and Venezuela, as well as the prime minister of Slovakia. Leaders from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), as well as dignitaries from African and Asian nations such as Mongolia, Myanmar, Laos, Zimbabwe, Ethiopia, and others, have confirmed attendance. Additionally, representatives of the partially recognized states of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are also expected.

Amid these high-profile visits, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has declined to guarantee the safety of foreign leaders visiting Moscow for the parade. He dismissed Russia's proposed Victory Day ceasefire as theatrical and emphasized that Kyiv would not provide security assurances, citing continued Russian aggression.

"They are rightly concerned that their parade is in jeopardy,” Zelensky said.

Ukraine Attempts To Kill World Leaders in Moscow

Russian war correspondent Alexander Kots accused Ukraine of attempting to sabotage the visits of foreign dignitaries to Moscow by launching drone attacks on the capital and surrounding regions. He claimed the Ukrainian military is targeting Moscow to intimidate visiting leaders, including Xi Jinping and the presidents of Brazil and Serbia. These sentiments were echoed by Russian Foreign Ministry envoy Rodion Miroshnik, who accused Zelensky of threatening heads of state.

Russian authorities reported that over 500 Ukrainian drones were intercepted in a 24-hour period ahead of the holiday, along with several missiles and guided bombs. This dramatic escalation in drone warfare has been widely interpreted as an attempt by Kyiv to disrupt Moscow's commemorative events and undermine Russian diplomatic efforts.

Despite the pressure and security concerns, President Putin announced a unilateral ceasefire in the special military operation zone from May 8 to May 11 to mark the anniversary.

Notably, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will not attend the parade, citing domestic commitments related to commemorations of former President Heydar Aliyev, according to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov.

With military tensions rising and geopolitical rifts deepening, this year's Victory Day celebrations in Moscow have become a focal point of both diplomatic defiance and regional anxiety.