Russia’s Victory Day military parade commemorating 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany started on Moscow’s Red Square on Friday, May 9th.
President Vladimir Putin was sitting next to China’s Xi Jinping, with around two dozen other foreign leaders also attending the event.
This is the fourth annual parade since Moscow attacked Ukraine in 2022.
Putin unilaterally ordered a three-day truce for the duration of the holiday, starting Thursday, May 8th, but Ukraine has accused Russia of breaking it hundreds of times.
Earlier, Ukraine warned that it cannot guarantee the safety of world leaders attending the parade.
Russian authorities have jammed mobile internet connections in the capital, citing the threat of Ukrainian attacks.
The two most important guests this year are China’s Xi Jinping and Brazil’s Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Despite warnings from Brussels, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico is also attending—the only leader from the European Union taking part.
Aleksandar Vučić, president of Serbia, a country with historically strong ties to Moscow, is also in attendance.
