Russian President Dmitry Medvedev presented state awards in the fields of literature, art, science and technology on Saturday.
“Today is Russia Day and I sincerely congratulate you and all Russian citizens on this national holiday” Medvedev told the participants of the awards in a Kremlin Palace ceremony.
“The source of this holiday is the events of twenty years ago, events connected with the roots of the democratic transformation of our country,” he went on.
Among those who received awards were poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko and pianist Denis Matsuev, as well as scientist Nikolai Vinokurov for his work on lasers.
“At any time, under the most unfavorable conditions, it is possible to create brilliant work in science, technology and art that will make our country prove for a long time, perhaps even forever,” Medvedev said.
Russia Day has been celebrated since 1992. It was introduced to mark the official declaration of state sovereignty of the Russian Federal Soviet Socialist Republic on June 12, 1990.
