** Editor's note : this image is distributed by the Russian state owned agency Sputnik **
In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Russia's President Vladimir Putin welcomes Laos' President Thongloun Sisoulith prior to the Victory Day military parade in central Moscow on May 9, 2024. Russia celebrates the 79th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. (Photo by Mikhail METZEL / POOL / AFP)