The President visited the Battle of Kursk memorial complex and laid a wreath at the Tomb of Unknown Soldier. Following the ceremony, the President briefly spoke to war veterans and local residents.
Vladimir Putin then toured other memorials on the grounds, the monument to Marshal Zhukov and the Kursk – City of Military Glory memorial, at which he laid flowers. The President also paid tribute to the sailors of the Kursk submarine at the monument to their memory.
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The Battle of Kursk was one of the decisive battles of the Great Patriotic War, involving over four millions people on both sides, as well as nearly 70,000 pieces of ordnance, over 13,000 tanks and self-propelled guns, and 12,000 combat aircraft. With its victory in the battle, the Red Army seized the strategic initiative in the war once and for all.