Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not travel to Moscow for the May 9 celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, the Kremlin announced on Friday as per reports. The development comes at a time when India is focused on its internal security strategy following a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 civilians, mostly tourists.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov reportedly said that while Prime Minister Modi will not be attending, “India will still be represented at the commemorative events through a different diplomatic representative.” Peskov did not disclose the name or rank of the Indian official who will be deputed in Modi’s place.
Russia had earlier invited Prime Minister Modi to attend the landmark event, and Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko had said that Moscow was “expecting the Indian Prime Minister” at the parade. “It’s being worked out…He has an invitation,” Rudenko had told state-run TASS news agency.
In Delhi, the Ministry of External Affairs had confirmed the invitation but refrained from announcing Modi’s participation. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said, “The Prime Minister has received an invitation and we will be announcing our participation in Victory Day celebrations at the appropriate time.”
The decision not to attend comes amid a series of high-level security and political meetings in New Delhi in the wake of the Pahalgam killings. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi chaired back-to-back meetings of the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA)—the latter often dubbed the ‘super cabinet’.
The previous day, Modi had chaired a high-level security meeting at his residence, attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, the chiefs of the three armed forces, and Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan. During that meeting, Modi granted the Indian Armed Forces “complete operational freedom” to respond to the Pahalgam attack, sources told India Today TV.
India’s absence from the Moscow parade also coincides with heightened diplomatic and strategic planning. While Modi visited Moscow in July last year for the 22nd Russia-India summit—the first in nearly five years—this latest development underscores New Delhi’s immediate preoccupation with national security and regional stability.
President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India later this year, as part of the annual reciprocal summit mechanism.
