Moscow: Some 100,000 workers on Thursday paraded on Red Square for the first time since the 1991 Soviet breakup as the takeover of Crimea triggered a surge of patriotism and boosted Russian President Vladimir Putin's standing.
A huge column of demonstrators waving Russian flags and balloons marched through Moscow's iconic square near the Kremlin walls as trade union leaders addressed them from the podium on International Labour Day.
"Putin is right", "Proud of the country" and "Let's support decisions of our president" read the banners carried by the smiling demonstrators, a colorful spectacle harking back to Soviet times.
Moscow police said more than 100,000 people took part in the "march of trade unions" on Red Square.
Since returning to the Kremlin for a third term in 2012 after huge protests against his decade-long rule, Putin has sought to boost support among his core constituents of middle-aged Russians and blue-collar workers.
After Moscow's takeover of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in March, patriotism in Russia has surged to new heights and lifted the 61-year-old president's approval ratings.
A new study by the independent Levada Centre pollster released on Wednesday said that 82 percent of respondents said they approved of Putin's job.
Some two million people turned up for May Day demonstrations across Russia, trade union leaders said.
Over the past years, Putin has cleverly tapped into middle-aged Russians' nostalgia for the stability and super-power status of the USSR and even revived Soviet-era awards.
Later on Thursday, Putin is expected to bestow "Hero of Labor" medals on several Russians.
International Labor Day, or May Day, was a key date in the Soviet calendar, instituted after the Bolshevik Revolution.
The celebrations became increasingly elaborate in the later years of the USSR, with party bosses presiding over ranks of marching athletes, soldiers, farm laborers and factory workers from the Lenin Mausoleum on Red Square, awash with red flags.
A huge column of demonstrators waving Russian flags and balloons marched through Moscow's iconic square near the Kremlin walls as trade union leaders addressed them from the podium on International Labour Day.
"Putin is right", "Proud of the country" and "Let's support decisions of our president" read the banners carried by the smiling demonstrators, a colorful spectacle harking back to Soviet times.
Since returning to the Kremlin for a third term in 2012 after huge protests against his decade-long rule, Putin has sought to boost support among his core constituents of middle-aged Russians and blue-collar workers.
Advertisement
A new study by the independent Levada Centre pollster released on Wednesday said that 82 percent of respondents said they approved of Putin's job.
Advertisement
Over the past years, Putin has cleverly tapped into middle-aged Russians' nostalgia for the stability and super-power status of the USSR and even revived Soviet-era awards.
Advertisement
International Labor Day, or May Day, was a key date in the Soviet calendar, instituted after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Advertisement
COMMENTS
Advertisement
Ukraine, Russia Both Claim Advances In Kursk Region "Guilty Of High Treason": Russia Jails US-Origin Ballet Dancer For 12 Years US Welcomes India's Engagement In War Between Russia, Ukraine "Don't Expect Anything From Me": Kolkata Hospital's New Principal Loses Cool Nurse Raped, Killed On Way Home, Body Found 9 Days Later In UP "Took Advantage Of His Addiction": 5 Charged Over Matthew Perry's Death White House Slams Violence Against West Bank Palestinian Settlers By Israel US Approves Sale Of 600 Patriot Missiles To Germany Ceasefire Must Involve "Complete" Israeli Withdrawal From Gaza: Hamas Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.