Vladimir Putin lays wreath at Tomb of Unknown Soldier

Russian President Vladimir Putin laid a wreath at the Eternal Flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on Day of Memory and Sorrow marked in Russia on June 22. To mourning music, honour guards carried the wreath to the memorial. Together with the president, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Presidential Administration Chief of Staff Sergei Ivanov, State Duma Chairman Sergei Naryshkin, government members, veterans and public representatives participated in the commemoration ceremony. It was concluded with a march of troops. At dawn on June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany without a war declaration attacked the Soviet Union. On the first day, thousands of servicemen of the Red Army and civilians died, and 1,200 aircraft, tanks and artillery guns were destroyed. According to the latest official data, more than 26 million Soviet citizens and servicemen died in the war. Russian President Putin on October 25, 2007 signed the changes to the law on memorial days, including June 22, Day of Memory and Sorrow, the day when the Great Patriotic War began, in the list. It is a mourning day in Russia when state flags are lowered to half-mast and entertainment events and TV shows are cancelled.