MOSCOW, April 28. /TASS/. Russia has not sent out any special invitations to foreign leaders to attend the Victory Day Parade on Moscow’s Red Square on May 9, including Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko who may ‘get ready and arrive’ on his own, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.
"I do not know if Alexander Grigoryevich [Lukashenko] would like to be present at the parade. But we have a Union State and Alexander Grigoryevich may get ready and arrive, there are no problems with that," the Russian presidential spokesman said.
"No special invitations have been sent out. But this does not mean that our closest neighbors and allies cannot, if they wish so, share the joy of Victory Day with us," Peskov pointed out.
The Kremlin spokesman earlier told reporters that Moscow would not invite foreign guests to the May 9 celebrations in the Russian capital on the occasion of the 76th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War because this was not a "jubilee year."
With regard to all other procedures, "the usual arrangement of inviting [guests] to the parade will most likely be in place but with the nuances that will be defined by the health authorities already closer to the date of the event," the Kremlin press secretary said.
This year, Russia’s Victory Parade on Moscow’s Red Square will involve over 12,000 troops, more than 190 combat vehicles and 76 aircraft: 53 planes and 23 helicopters. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has ordered to take measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among troops when preparing for and holding the parade.