Members of the European Parliament are going to Moscow on May 9

A delegation of five European politicians representing Germany, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, and Slovakia is heading to Moscow to lay wreaths at the monument to the dead. The trip is timed to coincide with the ceasefire announced by Russia.

This week, MEPs Ruth Firmenich and Michael von der Schulenburg, affiliated with the German BSW party, plan to visit Moscow to commemorate the dead of World War II. They intend to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, specifying that they will not participate in the military parade. Sources in the German media reported this.

The visit was organized according to the Kremlin’s requirements: the current list of participants was submitted in advance to the Russian Ministry of Defense. The delegation consists of representatives of the countries mentioned above. The visit is also timed to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the liberation and the temporary ceasefire announced by Russia.

Ruth Firmenich is a long-time colleague of BSW founder Sahra Wagenknecht, and Michael von der Schulenburg is a former diplomat who worked for the OSCE and the UN. He is one of the authors of the “Manifesto for Peace,” calling for an end to the war in Ukraine, and is also coordinating this visit.

According to Wagenknecht, the delegation is going to Moscow to lay a wreath, and she does not consider this a reason for criticism, since there will be no participation in the parade.

After Moscow, the MEPs are planning a trip to Kyiv, having already established contacts with the Ukrainian embassy. In a joint statement, they emphasized that their goal is to send a “signal of peace” and oppose further escalation of the European conflict.

The visit, given the military events in Ukraine, has caused some criticism, as the Kremlin is trying to use memorial dates for its propaganda purposes. Meanwhile, Russian diplomats have not received invitations to official events in the EU, including in Germany on May 8.

It has also been reported that Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will not attend the May 9 parade in Moscow despite the Kremlin’s invitation.