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Serbian President’s Flight to Moscow Resumes After Delay Caused by Airspace Restrictions and Drone Strikes

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Maryna_kulakova
Maryna Kulakova
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Serbian President’s Flight to Moscow Resumes After Delay Caused by Airspace Restrictions and Drone Strikes
Ceremonial soldiers parade during 78th anniversary of the Victory Day in Red Square in Moscow, Russia on May 09, 2023. (Source: Getty Images)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić's plane, initially grounded in Baku due to flight clearance issues caused by "combat operations between Russia and Ukraine," has since departed for Moscow, according to Serbian outlet Blic on May 7.

Vučić had been on his way to attend the May 9 parade, but his flight was delayed after several countries, through which his plane was scheduled to pass, granted initial clearance but later rescinded it.

Later in the day, Blic reported that, according to their sources, Vučić's plane had already departed for Moscow. Journalists added that in the past few days, airports in several Russian cities had been closed due to drone attacks.

Earlier reports indicated that Lithuania and Latvia have reportedly denied a flight carrying Vučić from crossing their airspace en route to Moscow.

Meanwhile, the President of the Republic of Congo arrived in Moscow to participate in May 9 events—his plane landed at Vnukovo-2, as reported by RIA Novosti.

Previously, Ukrainian drone strikes on the night of May 6–7 caused major disruptions at Moscow airports, including Vnukovo, the main hub for receiving foreign delegations ahead of Russia's planned Victory Day parade.

Russian media reported on May 7 the airport, located in the southwest of Moscow and commonly used for state and diplomatic flights, suspended operations for nearly ten hours.

Earlier, the Kremlin confirmed that 29 foreign leaders plan to attend the May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow, along with military personnel from 13 countries. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned on May 3 that Ukraine cannot guarantee the safety of foreign delegations on Russian territory during the event.

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