MOSCOW, August 23. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated India’s President Draupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the successful landing of the Indian space probe Chandrayaan-3 on the Moon near its South Pole, the Kremlin’s press service has said.

"Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on the successful landing of India's Chandrayaan-3 space probe on the Moon near the South Pole. This is a long stride in the exploration of outer space and, of course, evidence of the impressive progress made by India in science and engineering," the message reads.

Putin asked to convey to the leadership and staff of the Indian Space Research Organization "sincere congratulations and wishes for new achievements".

The Vikram landing module of the Chandrayaan-3 probe delivered a small 26-kilogram rover to the Moon’s surface. The Vikram descent module is named after the brain-father of India’s space program, scientist Vikram Sarabhai (1919-1971). The rover is called Pragyan (knowledge, wisdom). India became a fourth country in the world to have successfully landed a vehicle on the Moon, after the Soviet Union, the US and China. India has also become the first nation to land a probe on the South Pole of the Moon.