MFA on the participation of foreign troops in the parade in Moscow: Desecration of memory
Illustrative photo: Depositphotos

The participation of foreign military personnel in the parade in Moscow is unacceptable and will be regarded by Ukraine as an insult to the memory of the collective victory over Nazism, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

As stated by the Foreign Ministry, Russia is inviting foreign military personnel to participate in the parade on May 9 in order to whitewash its war crimes and justify its aggression.

"The Russian army has committed and continues to commit atrocities in Ukraine, the scale of which Europe has not seen since World War II. It is this army that will march on May 9 on Red Square in Moscow. These people are not the liberators of Europe, they are occupiers and war criminals," the department emphasized.

Under such conditions, the participation of foreign military personnel will be tantamount to supporting the aggressor state. This especially applies to countries that declare neutrality in their attitude towards the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Foreign Ministry emphasized.

"The participation of foreign military personnel in this action is unacceptable and will be regarded by Ukraine as an affront to the memory of the victory over Nazism, the memory of millions of Ukrainian front-line soldiers who liberated our country and all of Europe from Nazism eight decades ago," the ministry said.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called on foreign states to refrain from the participation of their military personnel in the parade in Moscow on May 9 and to honor the victims of World War II and the collective victory over Nazism without justifying Russian aggression and atrocities against Ukrainians.

  • Serbian President Vučić announced that one of Serbia's military units will take part in the May 9 parade on Red Square. He added that this is the first time Serbia is participating in a "joint" organization of the parade.
  • In Washington, the Russians plan to hold the "Immortal Regiment" march for the first time in several years and dedicate it to the 80th anniversary of the end of the "Great Patriotic" (World War II) War.