MOSCOW, November 4 (RIA Novosti) - President Vladimir Putin laid flowers at the monument to Minin and Pozharsky, who led a popular uprising in 1612 and liberated the country from Polish invaders, on Red Square Friday accompanied by cadets and students.
In a congratulatory telegram to those attending the ceremony of unveiling a monument to the heroes in Nizhny Novgorod, northwestern Russia, where the uprising began, Putin said, "the heroic event opened the door to the revival and strengthening of Russia's statehood."
"Russia's centuries-long history has shown that only by joining hands we can properly address new challenges and tackle crucial objectives. And by unveiling the monument we are paying tribute to our national traditions, our ancestors' courage," the president said.
Political parties and public organizations are holding various events across the country today to mark National Unity Day, which replaced another national holiday, November 7, formerly marked as the day of the 1917 Bolshevik revolution.
