India has said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will not attend Russia's annual Victory Day parade in Moscow.

On Wednesday, India's government said Russia was informed that its defence minister, Rajnath Singh, would attend the parade instead.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said earlier this month that Modi had been invited to the May 9 parade but had not confirmed if he would attend.

Modi is focused on a "response" to arch-rival Pakistan after a deadly attack targeting tourists in India-administered Kashmir last week that New Delhi blames on Islamabad – a claim that Islamabad has vehemently rejected.

Modi visited Russia in October for a summit, and President Vladimir Putin is expected to visit India later this year.

Russia has promised to hold its biggest World War II commemorations "in history" to mark 80 years since the Soviet Union and allied powers defeated Nazi Germany.