Chinese troops parade on Red Square in show of authoritarian unity - Photos

The parade took place amid unprecedented security measures focused on protection against possible Ukrainian drone attacks.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's speech at the parade focused on trying to link WWII to his ongoing full-scale aggression against Ukraine.

Russia "was and will be an indestructible barrier against Nazism, Russophobia, anti-Semitism," he claimed.

Chinese President Xi Jinping was given a prominent place, wearing an orange and black St. George ribbon, a symbol of Russian military glory that has been banned in Ukraine and several neighboring countries. 

The Kremlin claimed that 27 world leaders attended the event, including Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro, as well as Serbian President Aleksandar Vuci. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was the only European Union leader to travel to Moscow.

On April 15, The Telegraph reported that Serbia could be barred from joining the European Union if President Aleksandar Vucic attends the May 9 military parade in Moscow.

"What has been made very clear by various member states is that any participation in the May 9 celebrations in Moscow will not be supported by the European side, given that Russia is waging a full-scale war in Europe," said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas, warning other EU member governments against sending delegations to the event.