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Putin approves new Russian anthem
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RUSSIAN President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on Saturday to confirm the lyrics for the new national anthem which will be played for the first time on Russia's radio and television channels on the night of the New Year's Eve.
The anthem with the lyrics penned by famous Russian poet Sergei Mikhalkov and the tune by Soviet composer Alexander Aleksandrov will be broadcast on Radio of Russia at midnight and 6:00 in the morning every day.
When choosing the anthem earlier this month, the Russian parliament only approved the music, giving the president the right to approve the lyrics.
Putin agreed to revive the old anthem, saying the tune without any words was too hard to sing anyway.
Putin accepted the recommendation of an advisory committee, which favored new words from the 87-year-old Mikhalkov.
''Russia, our holy country!'' the new anthem begins. It goes on to praise the country's vast ''forests and fields ... from the southern seas to the polar region''.
The anthem got its first official performance later Saturday at a Kremlin reception.
''The anthem is not simply a symbol. It is impossible to live without it,'' Putin said at the reception.
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