Kremlin bans foreign media from covering May 9 parade in Moscow

The Kremlin has revoked accreditation for major foreign media outlets ahead of Russia's May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow, allowing only Russian state media to cover the event.

According to Spiegel, foreign journalists who had already received official approval were informed by phone that their permits had been canceled.

Among the media outlets reportedly having access removed were ARD, ZDF, Sky News, Agence France-Presse, Rai and NHK.

A Kremlin official told German media that the move was related to a change in the "format" of coverage of the parade "due to the current situation", adding that "only Russian media are allowed now".

Spiegel said this was the first known case in which foreign media were granted accreditation for the annual May 9 celebrations, only to be withdrawn a few days before the event, KyivPost reports.

This year's Victory Day parade on Moscow's Red Square is expected to take place in a reduced format, without the traditional display of heavy military equipment. Only marching military units are expected to participate.

The guest list is also significantly smaller than last year's much-hyped 80th anniversary celebrations. In 2025, the Kremlin said 29 foreign leaders attended the parade, including Chinese leader Xi Jinping and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

This year, only a limited number of foreign leaders are expected in Moscow, including Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, Malaysian King Sultan Ibrahim and Lao President Thongloun Sisoulith.

Representatives from Republika Srpska, the Serb entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, are also expected in Moscow, including Milorad Dodik.

The Kremlin's guest list also includes leaders of Russian-backed separatist territories, among them Abkhaz leader Badra Gunba and South Ossetian leader Alan Gagloev.

The incident comes amid heightened security concerns and warnings of possible outages in Moscow. Russian mobile phone operators have reportedly notified residents that mobile internet and SMS services could experience disruptions between May 5 and May 9.

Meanwhile, Russian-installed authorities in annexed Crimea have canceled military parades and mass events on May 9, while at least 15 Russian regions are said to have abandoned Victory Day parades altogether.

The GeoPost