MOSCOW – A delegation from Republika Srpska, including both the former and current presidents of the BiH’s entity, Milorad Dodik and Siniša Karan, as well as Speaker of the National Assembly, Nenad Stevandić, arrived in Moscow to attend the Victory Day celebrations on 9 May. It was stated by the Russian Embassy in BiH that they will meet in the Kremlin with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed that a delegation from the RS will attend the ceremonies in Moscow to celebrate the 81st anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War (Second World War).
Ushakov stated that Russia did not extend special invitations to foreign guests for the celebrations of the 81st anniversary of Victory Day.
“I want to inform you that, unlike last year, we did not specifically invite foreign guests to the celebrations… But some foreign figures have stated their desire to visit Moscow during these festive days and participate together with our leadership in the events on 9 May”, he told Russian media outlets.
Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić will not attend the 2026 Victory Day Parade. His attendance last year and meeting with Putin drew significant criticism from the EU.
Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said that he will visit Moscow on 9 May and meet Vladimir Putin, but will not attend the military parade marking Victory Day. He stated that his visit will focus on memorial events. Fico was denied overflight rights by the Baltic states, forcing him to seek an alternative route.
The Kremlin indicated the 2026 parade would be in a “reduced format” and scaled down due to security concerns.
