What is its History?
The history of Russia Day dates back to June 12, 1990, when the people's deputies of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR) signed a declaration announcing the sovereignty of the Russian Federation.
The document underlined that the Russian Constitution would be the dominant law in the country, among other things.
Additionally, it affirmed equal rights for all citizens, political parties and public organizations, while also introducing the principle of separate legislative, executive and judicial powers. These were significant changes to Russia's legislature, as they took precedence over the laws of the then-still-existing Soviet Union, which collapsed in 1991.
How Did Russia Day Emerge?
On June 2, 1994, then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin decreed that June 12 should be marked as the Day of Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Russian Federation.
In 1998, Yeltsin renamed the holiday Russia Day, which was officially approved as a national holiday on February 1, 2002, when the provisions of the new Labor Code of the Russian Federation came into force.
How is Holiday Marked?
The holiday has now become a symbol of national unity of the Russian people and their common responsibility for the future of their country.
It is worth recalling that in 2001, Putin touted the Declaration on State Sovereignty of the Russian Federation as a document that heralded the beginning of the country’s new history.
“This is the history of a democratic state based on civil liberties and the rule of law. And this state’s main meaning is success, prosperity and well-being of its citizens,” the Russian president stressed.