Honoring the Fallen: Putin Lays Flowers at Tomb of Unknown Soldier

On May 9, President Vladimir Putin of Russia and a number of high-ranking foreign politicians laid flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in central Moscow's Alexander Garden; the ceremony was part of celebrations in honor of the 70th anniversary of Victory over Nazi Germany in World War II, news reports said.

The ceremony was, in particular, attended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Chinese President Xi Jinping and his South African counterpart Jacob Zuma.

Also in attendance were President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev and his Kyrgyz and Azeri counterparts Azmazbek Atambayev and Ilham Aliyev, respectively.

Earlier, Putin met members of foreign delegations and honorary guests and then delivered a key-note speech at the beginning of a grandiose military parade on Moscow's Red Square.

Taking part in the Victory Day-related Moscow festivities are the Presidents of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

In addition, the ceremonies are being attended by the leaders of China, India, South Africa, Venezuela, Vietnam, Cuba, Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Cyprus, Zimbabwe, Mongolia, the Palestinian Autonomy, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, as well as the chiefs of the UN and UNESCO.

Earlier, Russia's presidential aide Yury Ushakov said that about 40 representatives of foreign states will visit Moscow on May 9.