Mr Putin’s message reads, in particular:
“I send my warmest greetings to the veterans of the Great Patriotic War, those who took part in the defence of Leningrad, the heroes who defended our Motherland against a merciless foe and saved the world from Nazism.
On the eve of the wonderful holiday that is the sixtieth anniversary of victory, I would like once again to express our immense gratitude to you. You fought in the fiercest battles to protect and preserve one of the world’s most beautiful cities for future generations.”