Azerbaijan's president to skip Moscow Victory Day parade amid diplomatic tensions — media

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will not attend the Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9, local media reported, citing unnamed sources. The parade marks the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in World War Two.

Aliyev’s decision is reportedly linked to several unresolved diplomatic issues, including the lack of accountability for a fatal AZAL plane crash on Russian soil, the deportation of Azerbaijani MP Azer Badamov from Moscow, and cyberattacks on Azerbaijani media allegedly traced to Russia.

The news was first confirmed by Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov, who told Life journalist Aleksandr Yunashov that Baku had cited the president’s involvement in domestic events honoring Heydar Aliyev.

Official Baku has not yet issued a public statement on the decision.

Russia had invited numerous foreign leaders to the event and proposed a temporary ceasefire with Ukraine. Kyiv rejected the offer, reaffirming its own proposal to halt hostilities for at least 30 days.

“We are not withdrawing this offer — it could give diplomacy a chance. But the world sees no response from Russia, only new attacks. This clearly shows who is the source of this war. Russia will have to end its aggression — it is just a matter of time,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address.

Amid intensified Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow, several Russian airports, including Domodedovo, Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, and Zhukovsky, temporarily suspended operations on May 6–7. More than 350 flights were canceled or delayed, affecting around 60,000 passengers.

N.Tebrizli