Russia holds its most scaled-back Victory Day parade in years on Saturday due to the threat of attack from Ukraine, where victory ​for Moscow's forces has proven elusive more than four years into the deadliest European conflict since World War Two.

Lukashenko has left on a working visit to Russia, his press service said. Earlier, the official announcement of the trip was published. According to propagandists, a meeting with Putin is planned during the visit. Lukashenko is also expected to take part in the parade to be held on May 9 on Red Square in Moscow.

A Kremlin-proposed cease-fire to mark Victory Day collapsed within hours, as Ukraine and Russia reported hundreds of violations a day before a scaled-down military parade in Moscow.

The May 9 Victory Day parade in Moscow’s Red Square is the headline event for Russian President Vladimir Putin. But this year, military hardware will be absent.

One theory behind the move is that the Kremlin is trying to shield the parade from possible Ukrainian disruptions. On Monday, it unilaterally declared a two-day ceasefire with Ukraine over the coming weekend, as a drone hit a high-rise building close to the Kremlin.

Which sites would be more effective to strike? A strike on Red Square would attract the attention of the world, but drones should not be wasted because of Moscow’s reinforced security. Attacks on the energy sector or military facilities would be more ...

The attack appears to mark one of the deepest strikes into central Moscow's residential core, having occurred approximately seven kilometers west of the city's central Red Square and three kilometers from the Russian Defense Ministry building.