INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
another day off rather than a patriotic event, Muscovites who spoke with The Moscow Times said.Observed every year on June 12, Russia Day
Square also attracted thousands of people on Sunday and Monday, featuring popular Russian singers and public figures including pro-Kremlin
singer Shaman and the band Lyube, which is believed to be Russian President Vladimir Putin's favorite band.However, some people in the
crowd were forced to join the celebrations, according to one state employee who was instructed to attend the concert.Similar festivities
Russian-occupied towns and cities in Ukraine which Moscow claims to have annexed.In the eastern Ukrainian Donetsk region, pro-Kremlin
pro-Russian authorities held a small ceremony and raised the Russian flag
