Medvedev speaks of democracy, freedom as Russia celebrates holiday; JUNE, 12

Moscow residents and guests celebrated Russia Day without serious incidents, deputy chief of the information and public relations department of the Moscow main police department Yevgeny Gildeyev told Itar-Tass on Thursday. “All festive events devoted to June 12 were held without any incidents and serious offences,” he said, noting “no one was detained during the festive events and massive celebrations.” “People, who celebrated the holiday in the streets and squares of the city, were in a good mood, behaved decently and did not violated the public order,” Gildeyev said. The Moscow celebrations of Russia Day ended with a great concert on the Red Square. Some 35,000 spectators attended the concert. “Another 10,000 people came to the area adjoining the Red Square and listened to the concert there,” Gildeyev said. According to him, more than 6,500 policemen, servicemen of the Interior Troops and voluntary guardsmen ensured the order in the city on Thursday. “Due to a big number of festive events in the city security measures were tightened, an operative headquarters led by deputy chief of the Moscow police Vyacheslav Kozlov was set up in the main city police department to ensure the order,” Gildeyev said. He emphasized that “the Moscow police worked well and thanks to the security measures any incidents were avoided in the city on the festive day.”

President Dmitry Medvedev stressed the importance of democracy and freedom in an address Thursday on a state holiday that his predecessor Vladimir Putin forged into a celebration of Russia's resurgence.

Medvedev presided over an awards ceremony honoring scientists, scholars and artists held annually in the Kremlin on the Day of Russia. It was part of nationwide celebrations including fireworks and a concert on Red Square.

Russia's first president, Boris Yeltsin, established the June 12 holiday after the Soviet breakup to mark the 1990 declaration of sovereignty by Russia's Soviet-era parliament, and it was widely known as Independence Day.

In the years that followed, the sense of optimism turned to widespread regret over the Soviet collapse and consternation over the notion that Russia was dependent on outside support. Putin renamed the holiday in 2002 and used it to emphasize Russia's resurgent economy and global clout during his eight-year presidency.

Medvedev focused on individual freedom as a key to Russia's future success.

"June 12 is firmly linked with the values of democracy and freedom," he said. "And we understand well that the free development of our society and the self-realization of its citizens is the best basis for achieving Russia's intellectual and technological leadership and its high competitiveness."

Medvedev's talk of democracy was in line with the tone he has set since his inauguration last month. A former lawyer and teacher of law, he has underscored human rights and the rule of law more strenuously than Putin, the longtime KGB officer who chose him as successor and engineered his election.

Medvedev's words have prompted hope among Putin's critics in Russia and abroad for a more tolerant, liberal Kremlin approach. But many warn that the difference so far has been mostly a matter of tone, not substance.

While he has emphasized human rights and freedoms, which Putin's critics said he strangled during eight years as president, Medvedev has also pledged continuity in the policies of his mentor, who continues to wield significant power as prime minister. Some analysts say he still holds ultimate control.