The “victory” parade Is Turning into a Diplomatic Failure for the kremlin

Military units from 15 countries will take part in a military parade in moscow on May 9. In total, about 1,200 foreign military servicemen will march across Red Square, representing their countries under national flags.

The participating countries include China, Vietnam, Myanmar, Mongolia, and Egypt. However, soldiers from the democratic people’s republic of korea were not invited to the celebration, as other states, “friendly” to moscow, do not want to march in the same line as the rogue country.

The kremlin’s rhetoric about the “heroism” of north korean soldiers is currently at odds with its actions. In particular, putin’s public statements that “the russian people will never forget heroic deeds  of the north korean special forces” were not confirmed by the dprk’s participation in the parade. This calls into question the true nature of the “military-political partnership” between moscow and pyongyang. As it turned out, dying in the war for the kremlin is an honor, but there are no invitations  to the parade.

Besides, this year’s May 9 celebrations face obvious difficulties at the diplomatic level. The kremlin’s “victory” parade is gradually turning from a potentially successful propaganda project into a diplomatic failure. Despite the russian authorities’ announcement that 20 countries’ leaders would participate, at least three of them have already canceled their visits, citing various factors. Several other countries have decided to lower  the level of their delegations.