Putin invited foreign leaders to Moscow parade to deter drone attacks
Putin on May 9 next to Presidents Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan and Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan, with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan behind him (Photo:Sputnik/Gavriil Grigorov/Pool via REUTERS)
The Kremlin has invited several foreign
leaders to the Victory Day parade in order to create a “human shield”
around Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian Military Intelligence
spokesman Andriy Yusov told Ukrainian TV broadcasters on May 10.
"With this human shield, they ensured the security of the Red Square and the Russian establishment, via several dependent (on Russia) presidents who could not refuse (the invitation)," said Yusov.
He added that Ukraine had no plans on staging an attack on Moscow on May 9, reiterating that Kyiv’s forces strike only military targets.
"Indeed, the main danger for the residents of the Russian Federation comes from their own regime," Yusov concludes.
On May 9, Moscow held a bleak and truncated military parade, lasting only 45 minutes, with only 8,000 troops participating – the lowest number in 15 years. Warplane fly-bys were canceled, and only one tank – a WWII relic T-34 – made its way across the Red Square, in stark contrast to columns of modern tanks being usual centerpieces of Victory Day parades.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said it was "immoral and unfriendly" for Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Turkmen, and Tajik heads of state to attend the parade in person.
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