Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says Moscow’s upcoming Victory Day celebrations on May 9 will have no bearing on the pace of its operations in Ukraine, Al Jazeera reports.

Speaking with the Italian outlet Mediaset, Lavrov insisted on Sunday, May 1 that Moscow would not rush to wrap up its so-called “special military operation” in time for the anniversary, which celebrates Nazi Germany’s surrender to allied forces – including the then Soviet Union – in 1945.

“Our military will not artificially adjust their actions to any date, including Victory Day,” Lavrov said.

“The pace of the operation in Ukraine depends, first of all, on the need to minimise any risks for the civilian population and Russian military personnel,” he added.

Russia typically marks Victory Day with a large military parade in central Moscow and a speech by President Vladimir Putin hailing the country’s leading role in the defeat of fascism in Europe.

But this year’s celebrations will come against the backdrop of Moscow’s bloody military campaign in Ukraine, which Putin has justified with claims the ex-Soviet country requires “denazification” and other allusions to World War II.