National Anthem of Russia: State Anthem of the Russian Federation

Full official country name: Russian Federation Country short name: Russia. Capital city: Moscow. Name of the anthem: «Государственный гимн Российской Федерации». English: «State Anthem of the Russian Federation». In late 2000, Russia’s new president Vladimir Putin, made creation of a new anthem for Russia a top priority, since a common complaint was not having words to their current anthem. In early December 2000, Putin presented a bill in the national asssembly to have the melody of the old anthem from the Soviet Union adopted as the new national anthem. The measure passed by a wide margin on December 8, but it was not without controversy, both at the time and since. Many (including former President Yeltsin) did not feel a change was necessary, and the use of the old Soviet anthem could be seen as rejecting post-Communist reforms. Others have expressed concerns that the melody brings back memories of the past of hardships under the Communist regime, especially the crimes that took...