Russia celebrates People`s Unity Day

The People's Unity Day has been celebrated in Russia since 2005.

Today Russia is celebrating a national holiday – People`s Unity Day. This is a holiday of patriotism, civic consciousness and love of the Motherland, which are the fundamental values that have always united the multinational state of Russia. The holiday was established in memory of events dating back to 1612, when people`s militia was formed under the leadership of Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, which eventually liberated Moscow from Polish-Lithuanian invaders.

That event became a turning point in the history of the Vague time, and was followed by liberation of the whole country.

The heroic deed of the Russian people was immortalized in 1818, when according to the decree of Emperor Alexander I a monument to “Citizen Minin and Prince Pozharsky” by Ivan Martos was erected on the Red Square. That was the first monument in the Russian history dedicated to national heroes rather than the Tzar or a military commander.