“I would like to congratulate all citizens of the country, our compatriots abroad and all for whom this day is full of hidden meaning,” he said.
As Putin pointed out, for every Russian, “the homeland is a family, a father’s home, and native land.”
“The bright, piercing feeling of the motherland at all times has helped our people to go through adversity, to survive, to preserve themselves in severe trials, to answer any challenges,” the president said.
Astronauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Wagner, who were previously at the International Space Station (ISS), congratulated the Russians on Russian Day.