The Russian Federation today is a sovereign state, which consistently defends its interests both in the foreign and domestic policy.  From now on ‘The Day of Russia’ has become our common cause for pride as the symbol of the patriotism, harmony and solidarity.
The people of different nationalities, cultures and generations celebrate the 12h of June.  We all are united by the desire to be strong and prosperous. The flourishing, firmly standing on its feet, independent Russia is our dream and our common future.  We live and work to achieve this goal, to keep the traditions and legacy of our ancestors and I am sure we will succeed in the end.
We are proud of the glorious history of the Fatherland, its great cultural and historical heritage.  We love Russia and do everything in our power for the sake of its prosperity.
I wish you all health, success, peace and success!
P.S. Today, I remembered  how a quarter of a century ago, being the member of the Supreme Council of Russia, I created a faction called ‘the Change is the New Policy’, which included Alexander Pochinok, Boris Nemtsov, Alexander Lyubimov, Ilya Konstantinov, Alexander Politkovskaya and other great, freedom-loving politicians and journalists.
Our faction has initiated the elaboration of the ‘Declaration of State Sovereignty of the Russian Federation’ that was adopted on 12th of June 1990 after the heavy political struggle by a margin of only four votes.
I recall that the adoption of this fateful document has allowed Russia as well as other Soviet republics to take the path leading to the independence and genuine democracy.
However, we must not forget the tragic fact that Yeltsin's government shot, elected by the people, our own Parliament in the centre of Moscow in October 1993.  As a result, the former President of Ingushetia Ruslan Aushev and I had to go under the hail of bullets to the White House to save hundreds of innocent lives.
Unfortunately, despite the best efforts of the most sensible politicians, the dramatic events of those years were filled with the destruction and the human deaths...