In The Kremlin - A New Wave Of Panic Before The Parade On May 9
- 8.05.2026, 10:21
Suddenly invitations for foreign journalists have been canceled.
The Russian presidential administration has canceled invitations to the May 9 parade in Moscow for journalists from foreign media. Accreditation has been withdrawn from employees of Der Spiegel, ARD, ZDF, Sky, Rai and NHK TV channels, as well as the AFP news agency. "Due to the current situation, the format of coverage of the parade has been changed, so foreign media that had already been granted accreditation will no longer be allowed," the Kremlin told a representative of Der Spiegel.
Other foreign media outlets were told that only Russian media were allowed to attend the parade. As Spiegel notes, this is the first time that foreign journalists first received accreditation for the May 9 parade and then had it revoked. Before that, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the Victory Parade will not feature a column of military equipment for the first time since 2007. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitri Peskov explained that the event will be held in a "truncated format" because of the "operational situation" and the "terrorist threat" from Kiev. At the same time, Vladimir Putin in a conversation with US President Donald Trump suggested declaring a truce with Ukraine for May 9. Later, the Russian military unilaterally announced that the ceasefire would be in effect from May 8 to 10.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky criticized the Kremlin's attempts to secure a temporary pause in hostilities only for the duration of the Victory Day parade in Moscow. He said Putin was "running around the capitals of the world" and begging for a pause for May 9, whereas real peace should have been established instead. "We should value people, not parades," the Ukrainian leader emphasized. Zelensky also recalled that Kiev has repeatedly offered Moscow to move toward peace, but in response received only new blows.
At the same time, the Ukrainian president recommended that representatives of foreign countries refuse to participate in celebrations in Moscow on the occasion of May 9. According to the Kremlin, the rulers of Belarus, Malaysia, Laos and partially recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia will attend the Victory Parade in the Russian capital. The prime minister of Slovakia and the president of the Republika Srpska will also come to Moscow. Thus, the number of leaders of the former Soviet Union countries at the parade will be the minimum since 2022, when no foreign head of state came to see Putin and he met the marching columns alone.