MOSCOW   -  Russian President Vladimir Putin will host a lavish World War II Victory Day parade in Moscow on Friday, an event the Kremlin hopes will rally patriotism at home and project strength abroad as its troops fight in Ukraine. More than 20 foreign dignitaries, including China’s Xi Jinping and Slovakia’s Robert Fico, are scheduled to attend the annual parade this year, the fourth since Moscow launched a full-scale military assault on its neighbour in 2022. Officials promise that commemorations this year -- the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany -- will be the “biggest” ever, with Putin ordering a “humanitarian” truce with Ukraine over the holiday. Ukraine, which has dismissed the truce as a farce, has called the events in Russia a “parade of cynicism” and warned that it cannot guarantee the safety of world leaders attending. The festival will be marked with a massive parade of military equipment and soldiers through Red Square, culminating in an address by Putin. Since sending troops into Ukraine, Putin has frequently drawn parallels between Russia’s modern-day army and the Soviet soldiers who fought Nazi Germany. At a dinner in honour of visiting foreign leaders, Putin proposed a toast to “victory”.