MOSCOW, June 22. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in a wreath-laying ceremony on Thursday at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow in memory of the country’s defenders who perished in the battles against fascists.

On the Day of Memory and Grief, which is the official date of the start of the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War, the Russian president paid tribute to those who gave their lives for the victory.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, the leadership of the Kremlin administration and cabinet of ministers, representatives of the Federation Council (upper house) and the State Duma (lower house) and veteran organizations also laid flowers at the memorial.

At the beginning of the ceremony, soldiers of the Honor Guard brought a wreath with red carnations and fir branches, and a ribbon of the Russian tricolor flag with a note "To the Unknown Soldier from the President of the Russian Federation." Putin bowed his head in honor of the fallen soldiers.