Russia's president Putin and seven foreign heads of states, including five Central Asian presidents, laying flowers to the Tomb of Unknown Soldier in Moscow. Photo from the website of the president of Uzbekistan. In the days leading up to the military parade in Moscow, held annually on May 9 to celebrate the Soviet Union’s victory in WWII, the most burning question was: “Who will join Putin on May 9 in Moscow?” For more than a month, the answer to this question was Kyrgyzstan’s president Sadyr Japarov, whose plan to visit Russia from May 7 to 9 was announced on March 31, 2023. Until the evening of May 8, Japarov was going to be the only foreign president to attend the parade. The presidents of the remaining four Central Asian countries, Kazakhstan’s Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Tajikistan’s Emamoli Rahmon, Turkmenistan’s Serdar Berdymukhamedov, and Uzbekistan’s Shavkat Mirziyoyev announced their participation less than a day before the parade. Their participation was the ultimate test of Central Asian leaders’ political loyalty to the Kremlin. The fact that they laid off announcing their visits until the very end shows that they were not easy decisions. The war in Ukraine has undoubtedly reshaped Russia’s foreign policy. Its invasion of Ukraine has turned Russia into a pariah state, forcing its allies to reconsider their political ties. Supporting Russia spells political and economic trouble in the form of sanctions. Russia’s allies in Central Asia are in a delicate position. They have to maintain neutrality whilst being pressured by Russia, who is leveraging the region’s political, security, and economic reliance. Out of seven heads of foreign states who attended the parade, five were from Central Asia. The other two were Belarussian president Alyaksandr Lukashenka and Armenia’s prime minister Nikol Pashinyan. Only Japarov announced his participation in the parade in advance, which was part of his three-day work visit. He arrived in Moscow on May 7 and opened a memorial to Kyrgyz soldiers who died during the WWII in the city of Rzhev. On the same day he met with the Chairman of the State Duma (Russian parliament) Vyacheslav Volodin to discuss interparliamentary cooperation between the two countries. Kyrgyzstan's president Sadyr Japarov at the military parade in Moscow. Photo from the website of the president of Kyrgyzstan. On May 8, Japarov met with Putin, who said: “It is a significant event that you [Japarov] are with us at this time.” Putin accepted Japarov’s invitation to visit Kyrgyzstan later in the year. On May 9, in addition to the parade, Japarov also met with Russian prime minister Mikhail Mishustin to discuss investment, trade, and economic cooperation between Russia and Kyrgyzstan. The absence of any tangible outcomes from all these meetings hint at their ceremonial character and their role in masking the fact that the main purpose of his visit was so that Putin could show the world that he is not isolated. The other four Central Asian leaders announced their participation either in the late afternoon on May 8 or early morning on May 9. Tokayev’s trip consisted of visiting the Rzhev Memorial to honor the memory of Kazakh soldiers who died in WWII, as well as the mass grave in the village of Trubino, where his uncle Kasym Boltaev is buried. Kazakhstan's president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev visiting the mass grave in the Trubino village in Russia. Photo from the website of the president of Kazakhstan. Mirziyoyev’s participation in the parade was masked under the general work visit on May 8 and 9. On the first day, Mirzioyoyev met with Putin, and the two sides discussed “further strengthening Uzbek–Russian relations of a comprehensive strategic partnership and alliance.” The meeting did not produce any results besides statements expressing interest in deepening bilateral relations. Uzbekistan's president Shavkat Mirziyoyev standing next to Putin in the Kremlin. Photo from the website of the president of Uzbekistan. Rahmon’s press service previously announced plans for his participation in the flower laying ceremony at the Victory Park in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe on May 9. What may have changed his mind was the phone call with Putin on May 5, during which Putin personally invited him to participate in the parade. Berdymukhamedov’s participation was confirmed only in the morning of May 9. He, too, received a phone call from Putin on May 7 with the personal invitation to attend the parade. There are no doubts that these presidents received written invitations. The personal phone calls from Putin hint at the reluctance of Central Asian leaders to be associated with Russia when the whole world was watching.