Russia has always responded to the challenges in its history by bringing people together, President Vladimir Putin said at a ceremony in the Kremlin to present awards marking National Unity Day.
“Whatever challenges our country has faced, Russian statehood has always found the answer in united people, a common and invincible will, as well as the determination to shape our own destiny,” Putin said, quoted by TASS.
The Russian president noted that this principle was evident in 1612, in the 19th and 20th centuries, as well as today. According to him, National Unity Day reflects “our great history, our values and our national character.”
The holiday is linked to the events of 1612
National Unity Day is observed in Russia on November 4. Established on the initiative of the Interreligious Council of Russia, the holiday was celebrated for the first time in 2005.
The date is linked to the liberation of Moscow in 1612 by a people’s militia led by Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. The events were part of a period of internal unrest and foreign military intervention known as the Time of Troubles.
“This holiday commemorates our sincere and profound love for our homeland, our duty to the motherland and the fate of our people,” Putin added.
Putin laid flowers in Red Square
As part of the national holiday, the Russian president laid flowers at the monument to Kuzma Minin and Prince Dmitry Pozharsky in Moscow’s Red Square. Representatives of religious communities, as well as public and youth organizations, took part in the ceremony.
Putin said that in 1612, people of different nationalities and faiths had put an end to internal strife and turmoil and had restored statehood and legitimate authority.
“Russian culture, traditions and values unite many people around the world,” the Russian president also said.
Sources: bta.bg