Pashinyan to Skip Moscow Victory Day Parade, Citing Domestic Election Campaign

YEREVAN — Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced on Thursday that he will not attend the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow, citing the start of Armenia’s parliamentary election campaign on May 8.

Pashinyan’s decision to skip the annual commemoration of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany — an event that holds deep symbolic significance in Russia — is the latest indication of cooling relations between Yerevan and the Kremlin.

“Armenia’s parliamentary election campaign begins on May 8. For this reason, I will be unable to attend the parade.” — Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia

🗳️ Election Context

Armenia’s snap parliamentary elections are scheduled for June 7, 2026 .

The campaign period officially begins on May 8, one day before the Moscow parade. Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party is seeking a renewed mandate amid ongoing tensions with Azerbaijan, a stalled peace process, and a deepening rift with Russia.

Pashinyan’s decision to prioritize domestic campaigning over the Moscow parade sends a clear political signal. While his stated reason — the timing of the campaign launch — is technically accurate, past Armenian leaders have made time for the Victory Day event even during election seasons.

The move will be interpreted in Moscow as another sign of Yerevan’s westward drift and its reluctance to be seen as fully aligned with the Kremlin. Ties between the two countries have deteriorated sharply since 2022, with Armenia accusing Russian peacekeepers of failing to uphold the ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh and Russia expressing frustration over Pashinyan’s overtures to the West .

🇷🇺 Other Leaders Attending

Despite Pashinyan’s absence, the parade is expected to draw leaders from several post-Soviet states, including Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The Kremlin will likely use the event to project an image of unity within the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) sphere of influence.

Pashinyan’s decision stands in contrast to the leaders of other former Soviet republics who have maintained closer ties with Moscow. Notably, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will attend the parade, underscoring the divergent foreign policy paths of the two South Caucasus rivals.

🏛️ What Comes Next

The absence of Armenia’s leader from the Victory Day parade will not go unnoticed in Moscow. The Kremlin has not issued a formal response to Pashinyan’s announcement. It may use state-controlled media to portray Armenia’s decision as disrespectful to the memory of World War II veterans, a tactic it has employed in the past to criticize former Soviet republics that have distanced themselves from Russia .

For Pashinyan, the risk is that his absence could further erode already strained ties with Moscow at a time when Armenia still depends on Russia for security guarantees (through the Collective Security Treaty Organization) and economic support .

The cumulative effect of Pashinyan’s decision — combined with Armenia’s suspension of participation in the CSTO, its hosting of joint military exercises with the United States, and its pursuit of closer ties with the European Union — has pushed the relationship to its lowest point since Armenia gained independence in 1991 .

📋 Key Takeaways for Reflecto News Readers

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