Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s journey to Moscow for this week’s Victory Day parade included a stop in Azerbaijan, as Ukrainian drone strikes led to airport closures across Russia for several hours, as reported by Serbian and Russian media on Wednesday.
Vučić is one of over two dozen global leaders anticipated to participate in the May 9 parade on Red Square, commemorating 80 years since the Soviet Union’s triumph over Nazi Germany.
As per the Serbian tabloid Informer, Vučić’s aircraft made an “emergency landing” in Baku while waiting for authorization to continue to Moscow. Conversely, Russia’s state news agency TASS characterized the stop as “planned” and indicated that the Serbian Embassy in Moscow still expected his arrival by Thursday.
Conflicting accounts suggested that the diversion was either due to a need for refueling or a lack of landing permission in Moscow because of airport closures linked to ongoing drone assaults that occurred early Wednesday.
Later, Russian state television broadcasted footage of Vučić disembarking from his plane upon its arrival in Moscow.
Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko, Russia’s ambassador to Serbia, who met with Vučić before his departure on Wednesday morning, accused the West of trying to obstruct the Serbian president’s visit, branding it an act of “neo-Nazism.” The ambassador seemed to reference the Baltic nations closing their airspace to global leaders traveling to Russia for the Victory Day events.
Vučić’s arrival coincides with Ukraine launching its most extensive drone offensive against Russia to date, which led to repeated airport closures in the capital and nearby regions. The Russian Association of Tour Operators stated that these disruptions affected at least 60,000 travelers.
Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that it had destroyed 524 Ukrainian drones overnight across five regions, marking the largest wave of drone strikes since President Vladimir Putin initiated a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The ministry also announced the interception of several rockets.
Putin has declared a unilateral ceasefire for 72 hours, from midnight on May 8 to May 11, to commemorate Victory Day. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed the ceasefire proposal in favor of a 30-day truce.
