The Kremlin has revoked the accreditation of foreign journalists for the 9 May parade
The Kremlin has revoked the accreditation of foreign journalists for the military parade in Moscow marking the 81st anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender to the USSR. This was reported by Der Spiegel.
According to the publication, accreditation was cancelled by telephone for Spiegel journalists and a number of other foreign media outlets. These include ARD, ZDF, Sky, the AFP news agency, the Italian broadcaster Rai and the Japanese broadcaster NHK.
The Kremlin explained the decision by citing a change in the format of the parade’s coverage “due to the situation”. In a conversation with Spiegel, a Kremlin official stated that foreign media outlets which had previously received confirmation of their accreditation would now not be admitted.
Other newsrooms were informed that only Russian media outlets would be admitted to the event.
As Spiegel notes, this is the first time the Kremlin has initially approved accreditation for foreign journalists to cover the 9 May parade and then withdrawn it.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defence has announced that no military equipment will be displayed on Red Square this year. The ministry attributed this to the “current operational situation”.
Tanks and other military equipment are usually displayed during the parade in Moscow.
The 9 May parade is one of Russia’s main state events and marks the anniversary of Nazi Germany’s surrender in the Second World War.
