North Korea’s nominal head of state Kim Yong Nam will be visiting Moscow for the Victory Day celebrations on May 9, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) announced on Sunday.

Kim Jong Un was initially expected to attend the ceremony and mark his first foreign visit since taking power in North Korea in 2011. However, Russian authorities were notified last week that he would not be making the journey.

“Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly of the DPRK, will pay a visit to Russia to take part in the celebrations of the 70th anniversary