On November 7, the Communist party of the Russian Federation will celebrate the centenary of the 1917 revolution with a festive march and a gala reception. But Russia's President Vladimir Putin will be absent from the procession, Financial Times writes.
According to the article, for Putin, removing himself so far from a momentous historical anniversary is out of character — "under his presidency, history has become an ever more important ideological tool for strengthening national unity and rallying public support".
Ever since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russia has been seeking answers to the questions of ‘who we are and where we come from’. The article says that for many other former Soviet republics gaining independence in itself was a strong basis for national identity. "But in the minds of many citizens of the Russian Federation, the day their country became independent they lost more than they gained," the article reads.
