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By  Heraldviews

Moscow braced for its annual Victory Day military parade, a show of strength keenly anticipated by President Vladimir Putin and expected to draw several world leaders, after a second consecutive night of Ukrainian drone attacks on the capital.

Moscow’s mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, reported via Telegram on Tuesday that air defences had intercepted and destroyed at least 19 Ukrainian drones approaching the city overnight. This followed an incident the previous night when four drones were reportedly shot down near the capital. While there were no immediate reports of significant damage or casualties, Mr Sobyanin noted that debris from the downed devices fell onto a major highway. As a precautionary measure, flights were temporarily suspended at four of Moscow’s airports, according to Russian aviation authorities.

The Russian defence ministry later claimed that a total of 105 Ukrainian drones had been intercepted across Russia during the same period. These attacks come just ahead of the expected arrival in Moscow on Wednesday of China’s President Xi Jinping for a three-day state visit. The Kremlin had announced on Sunday that Mr Xi would participate in the Victory Day celebrations on Friday, 9 May.

Other prominent leaders expected to attend the parade, which commemorates the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War, include Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Vietnam’s President To Lam, and Belarus’s leader, Aleksandr Lukashenka. Victory Day holds immense symbolic importance for Mr Putin, who has consistently used the occasion to galvanise public support and project Russia’s military might. Thousands are expected to line Red Square on Friday for the display of patriotic fervour, honouring the more than 25m Soviet soldiers and civilians who perished during the conflict.

Mr Putin had previously declared a unilateral three-day ceasefire in Ukraine, timed to coincide with the Victory Day events, citing “humanitarian considerations”. However, this announcement was met with considerable scepticism in Kyiv and renewed calls from the White House for a “permanent ceasefire,” particularly as the Trump administration intensifies pressure on both Moscow and Kyiv to negotiate an end to the ongoing war.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the three-day truce as insufficient, stating his willingness only to consider a more substantial ceasefire lasting at least 30 days. In a direct message to dignitaries travelling to Russia for the Victory Day commemorations, Mr Zelensky warned that Kyiv “cannot be responsible for what happens on the territory of the Russian Federation” due to the continuing conflict. He had earlier stated in his nightly address on Saturday that Kyiv would not be “playing games to create a pleasant atmosphere to allow for Putin’s exit from isolation on 9 May.” Russia’s foreign ministry swiftly condemned Mr Zelensky’s remarks as amounting to a threat.

In recent weeks, Mr Zelensky has also publicly demanded answers from China regarding the alleged capture of two Chinese fighters by Ukrainian forces in early April, claiming there were “many more” fighting within Russia’s ranks. Beijing has denied any involvement and reiterated its standing call for Chinese citizens to “refrain from participating in military actions of any party.”

Facing Russia’s superior manpower and resources, Ukraine has increasingly relied on drone technology as a means to level the playing field. On Saturday, Kyiv claimed a significant first, stating it had used a seaborne drone to shoot down a Russian Su-30 fighter jet in the Black Sea.

Meanwhile, a Ukrainian official indicated that their military maintains a presence inside Russia’s Kursk region, contradicting Moscow’s assertion that it had fully recaptured the western territory following a months-long incursion by Ukrainian forces. The timing of the drone attacks on Moscow, just days before the highly symbolic Victory Day parade and the arrival of key international figures, underscores the escalating tensions and the continued reach of Ukraine’s capabilities into Russian territory.