Russia has cancelled this year's Victory Day parade in the occupied Crimean port city of Sevastopol, the Kyiv Independent reports.

Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozzhayev said the Victory Day parade, which was to be held on May 9 to commemorate the Soviet victory in World War II, would not take place due to safety risks.

On May 9, Russia staged grand military parades to commemorate the end of World War II in Europe. Ukraine and most European countries mark 8 May as Victory Day in Europe.

On 3 May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine could not guarantee the safety of foreign officials planning to attend the Russian Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May, warning that Russia could organise provocations, including "arson, explosions or other actions", and try to blame Ukraine.

Russia is responsible for ensuring the safety and security of its territory, Zelensky added. 

The cancellation follows the announcement of a Ukrainian naval drone that destroyed a Russian Su-30 fighter jet near the port of Novorossiysk on May 2 - an unprecedented operation described by Ukrainian military intelligence as the first instance of a naval drone shooting down a jet. The $50 million aircraft reportedly crashed into the sea.

Sevastopol, a major naval base on the Black Sea, has been under Russian occupation since the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014 | BGNES