Russia is expecting numerous international guests for its subsequent military parade for the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in just under four weeks. This was announced by Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskow after a report by the state news agency Tass in Moscow today. The invitations to individual heads of state of former Soviet republics would be renewed. There are individual agreements with other countries.
Originally, the parade for the victory over Hitler Germany should have taken place on May 9, as usual. Among others, French President Emmanuel Macron had agreed. Because of the coronavirus crisis, Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin had to reschedule the appointment. The parade with soldiers, tanks and missiles on Red Square in Moscow is now scheduled for June 24.
Participation from Germany unclear
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier also had invitations. A decision about a German participation in the gun show was a long time coming and was ultimately unnecessary due to the Russian cancellation. It is unclear who now represents Germany. Russia has discontinued international air traffic due to the corona virus crisis. Participants in the parade are often the ambassadors of the states.
EU countries such as Poland and the Baltic countries accuse the Soviet Union of complicity in the outbreak of the World War. You are therefore against victory celebrations in Moscow. As the legal successor to the Soviet Union, which collapsed in the early 1990s, Russia rejects such accusations. The Moscow leadership points out that with 27 million deaths in the fight against Hitler, the Soviet Union has made more victims in the liberation of Europe from the Nazis than any other country.
