12 Jun 2019
Russia Day 2019





Today’s Doodle by St. Petersburg-based guest artists Anya and Varya Kendel salutes Russia Day, celebrating the world’s largest country and the accomplishments of its people all around the world.

June 12th marks the 1990 declaration that signaled the birth of the independent Russian Federation, as well as the dissolution of the Soviet Union on the same day a year later. Declared an official national holiday in 1994, the “Day of Signing the Declaration of State Sovereignty” commemorates the birth of a new nation, the creation of the post of President, the adoption of the red, white, and blue national flag, and the new national anthem. The holiday was renamed Russia Day in 2002.

Russia Day is observed all across the country—from major metropolitan centers such as St. Petersburg to smaller cities like Kemerovo, Perm, Veliky Novgorod, Krasnoyarsk, and Tambov—with concerts and other cultural activities by day and fireworks at night.

This Doodle also highlights the beauty of Russia’s natural landscapes, featuring some of its most iconic sights, such as Mount Elbrus in the Caucasus; the Klyuchevskaya volcano; and Siberia’s Lake Baikal, the oldest and deepest lake in the world, with its distinctive Shamanka Rock.