President Vladimir Putin took part in a ceremony of raising the flags of the Russian Federation

Vladimir Putin observed the ceremony from the water, with comments given by Yelena Ilyukhina, Deputy General Director of Gazprom Neft and General Director of Gazprom Lakhta.

The event was accompanied by a concert on stage of the Lakhta Centre grand amphitheatre. The national anthem was performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Vladimir Spivakov and the St Petersburg State Academic Capella Choir.

The 179,5-tall flagpoles were installed along the coastline near the Park of the 300th Anniversary of St Petersburg. The raising of the flags marks the anniversaries of each flag's establishment, with 330 years of Peter the Great’s tricolour, 165 years of the flag of the Russian Empire and 100 years of the Red Banner. The project was implemented by Gazprom and also envisages renovating the park’s waterfront.

At the Konstantinovsky Palace in St. Petersburg, Vladimir Putin met with the world's first female cosmonaut, Hero of the Soviet Union, State Duma deputy Valentina Tereshkova.

Courtesy: kremlin.ru