The celebrations will begin with a ceremony to place flowers at the monument to Minin and Pozharsky on Red Square.
Mr Putin will then take part together with Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill in unveiling a monument to Holy Prince Vladimir, Equal of the Apostles. The monument was designed by National Artist of Russia Salavat Shcherbakov.
The monument was the initiative of the Russian Military-Historical Society and the Moscow city government. Previously, Grand Prince Vladimir’s memory was honoured only in the depiction of him as the baptiser of Rus on the Millennium of Russia monument in Novgorod, unveiled in 1862.
Members of the Russian Government, deputies of both houses of the Federal Assembly, Mayor of Moscow Sergei Sobyanin, representatives of public organisations and figures from the academic, cultural and arts worlds will take part in the ceremony.
The same day, the President will visit the Orthodox Russia annual exhibition and forum, taking place in Moscow, and will visit the exhibition Russia – My History. 1945–2016.
Following tradition, state decorations, the Order of Friendship and the Pushkin Medal, will be presented to foreign citizens for particular services to strengthening peace, friendship, cooperation and understanding between peoples at a ceremony and reception marking National Unity Day. The Presidential Prize for contributions to strengthening the Russian nation’s unity will be awarded for the first time.
The prize was established by a presidential executive order of 26 April 2016 as the highest recognition of Russian citizens’ services to their country and society and is awarded for fruitful work to strengthen the Russian civic identity and spiritual commonality of Russia’s multi-ethnic people, harmonise interethnic relations, and develop ethnocultural diversity of Russia’s peoples.