Putin, Patriarch Kirill Lay Flowers On National Unity Day

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, laid flowers at a monument commemorating Russia's National Unity Day on November 4. The monument on Moscow's Red Square was built to honor the commanders of a volunteer army that fought off troops of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth from Moscow in 1612. After the ceremony, Putin and Kirill met with leaders of Russia's officially recognized religious communities.