Russia's chief rabbi with Putin at Red Square ceremony

Russia's chief rabbi, Rabbi Berel Lazar, appeared at a state ceremony in Moscow's Red Square on Wednesday alongside President Vladimir Putin and the country's senior religious leaders.

The event marked National Unity Day, a Russian holiday commemorating the 1612 liberation of Moscow from Polish forces. Putin laid a wreath at a historic monument in the square, joined by leaders from Russia's major religious communities.

Footage released by the Russian news agency TASS shows Putin and Rabbi Lazar standing with Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, and other senior religious figures. Among those present were Russia's Grand Mufti Talgat Tadzhuddin, the head of Russia's Buddhist community Damba Ayusheyev, and representatives of Christian denominations and other religious groups.

Russia's chief rabbi with red flowers in hand: the meeting with Putin in Red Square (Photo: Official Presidential Page)

During the ceremony, Putin placed flowers at the monument to Kuzma Minin and Dmitry Pozharsky, which stands in Red Square. The two are considered national heroes in Russia for leading the popular militia that drove Polish forces from Moscow in 1612.

Following the wreath-laying, the Russian president spoke with the religious representatives and offered them greetings on National Unity Day. The event also drew representatives from civic organisations, youth movements, volunteers and patriotic groups, including the Yunarmiya movement and the "Victory Volunteers" organisation.