Thread by @TheStudyofWar

#Putin is attempting to use the #Moscow #VictoryDay parade to show #Russia’s continued influence in Central Asia but the late announcement of Central Asian leaders’ attendance likely indicates their reticence to show direct & public support of the war.🧵⬇️isw.pub/UkrWar050823

https://twitter.com/TheStudyofWar/status/1655701104653467648

2/ Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov, Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, and Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon are reportedly attending the #VictoryDay parade in #Moscow on May 9.

3/ #Kremlin-affiliated news outlet Vedemosti reported Japarov’s visit to #Moscow for #VictoryDay on April 23, while Russian media reported Tokayev’s, Mirziyoyev’s, and Rakhmon’s visits on May 8, only one day before the #VictoryDayParade in Moscow.

4/ #Russian independent news outlet SOTA reported that Rakhmon’s press service initially announced that Rakhmon would celebrate in Dushanbe, but later stated that Rakhmon had arrived in #Moscow for #VictoryDay.

5/ #Kremlin newswire TASS reported that #Putin also invited Turkmen President Serdar Berdymukhamedov but he did not confirm his attendance.

6/ No foreign leader attended Moscow #VictoryDayParade in 2022, and Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan did not hold #VictoryDay parades in 2022 with some citing health risks from the coronavirus pandemic.

7/ Belarusian President Alexander #Lukashenko and Armenian President Nikol Pashinyan reportedly also flew to #Moscow to attend the #VictoryParade. isw.pub/UkrWar050823

8/ The late announcement of Central Asian leaders’ attendance likely indicates their reticence to show direct and public support of the war despite #Kremlin efforts to project power. isw.pub/UkrWar050823