China Sends Ceremonial Detachment to Join Moscow’s Victory Day Parade

A Chinese contingent – the largest of all foreign participants – is to join Russian troops in Moscow for the May 9 Victory Day parade, according to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on Thursday, May 8, and is one of the more than 20 foreign leaders to attend Friday’s parade that marks 80 years since the defeat of Nazi Germany in WWII.

Putin, in his opening remarks during Thursday’s meeting with Xi and the Chinese delegation, said a “ceremonial march of servicemen” from Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will join the parade.

“Tomorrow, a ceremonial march of servicemen from the People’s Liberation Army of China will take place on Red Square. As far as I know, this is the largest foreign military contingent in terms of numbers,” Putin said, according to Russian state media TASS.

The participation of Chinese troops marks the third such occasion in recent history. Beijing sent a detachment in 2015 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII, then again in 2020 with 105 troops – though the date of the latter was moved to June 24 that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

TASS also noted that both Xi and Putin have addressed each other as “dear friends” in Thursday’s opening remarks, adding that the two are likely to discuss the development of bilateral ties and international blocs, including the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline that was reportedly stalled in 2024.

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The May 9 parade has traditionally been a showcase of military strength for Moscow, a tradition dating back to the USSR. Putin has in recent years used the Soviet’s victory over Nazi Germany to shape the narrative against the West and Ukraine, claiming the latter to be “neo-Nazis” as a means to justify the invasion of Ukraine.

The period between 1939 and 1941 – when the USSR had the Molotov-Ribbentrop non-aggression pact with Nazi Germany and invaded Poland – is glossed over in official Russian history books.

Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine has also cast a long shadow over its recent Victory Day parades. Friday’s parade marks the fourth since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but it remains unclear what military hardware will be showcased.

In recent years, displays have been modest, with speculators scoffing at the lone display of a WWII-era T-34 tank leading the parade in 2023 when most equipment was sent to Ukraine to sustain the losses.