Putin, with a portrait of his father, took part in the “Immortal Regiment” action

Russian President Vladimir Putin led the procession "Immortal Regiment" in the center of Moscow. Protesters carry banners with photos of their relatives who fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. The president is holding a portrait of his father.

“I think that my father, just like millions of ordinary soldiers, - and he was a simple soldier - had the right to pass through this square. But fate was such that not everyone could walk across Red Square, ”said the head of state.

More than 250 thousand people gathered in the center of Moscow to participate in the “Immortal Regiment” action, the press service of the Moscow police reported.

“By the beginning of the Immortal Regiment action, more than 250 thousand participants had gathered in the central part of the city,” RIA Novosti quotes the words of a representative of the capital’s headquarters of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“Immortal Regiment” is a public event. Its meaning is that people march solemnly through the streets of their cities and carry with them photographs of their relatives and friends who participated in the Great Patriotic War.

This year the action is taking place not only in Moscow, but also in many large and small cities of the country.

Processions were also scheduled in Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Germany, Israel, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Norway, South Korea, as well as in Estonia and Ukraine.

For the first time the action took place in Tomsk in 2012.