Putin hails 'love of fatherland' as nation marks day of Russia
President Vladimir Putin presided over an elaborate awards ceremony and government-backed youth parties staged music and dance concerts today as Russia marked an independence holiday recast by the Kremlin as a celebration of Russia itself.
Speaking from a lavish Kremlin hall in front of top government, cultural and religious leaders, Putin presented medals to a group of scientists, writers and artists and called for greater efforts to promote patriotism in Russia.
“Each of the awardees, each of them, spoke of the most important thing: of his love for the fatherland,” he said in comments broadcast nationally by state-run television. “And this is the main foundation for the soul of any of true citizen of Russia. This is the backbone which unites our country, which makes it great, which makes it reliable, which definitely will make it prosperous.”
Formerly known as Independence Day, the June 12 holiday initially marked the Russian parliament's 1990 declaration of sovereignty from the Soviet Union. But Russia’s independence meant the break-up of the Soviet Union – which Putin has called the “greatest catastrophe of the 20th century” – and the holiday was renamed the Day of Russia in 2002.
Since Putin’s coming to power in 1999, the Kremlin has pushed a campaign promoting nationalism and patriotism for Russians, whose pride was battered in the years after the Soviet break-up. Putin himself has allowed the reintroduction of Soviet-era symbols such as the music to the Soviet anthem and use of the red star by the country’s armed forces.
Throughout Moscow, the Russian blue, red and white tricolours fluttered in flags along bridges, boulevards and building tops and thousands marched down one of Moscow’s avenues, carrying Russian flags and banners. Outside the Kremlin walls near Red Square, workers put the finishing touches on a massive sound stage featuring flags from all of Russia’s nearly 90 regions in preparation for an evening concert.
Russian TV channels broadcast footage of youth activists handing out flags to visitors arriving at airports and train stations, and singing the national anthem at concerts and colourful meetings held around the nation.
