Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be flying to Russia on Monday for a 2-day state visit. Being termed as "very significant" in diplomatic circles, this would be the first visit by PM Modi to Moscow after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. While PM Modi is expected to engage with senior Russian leadership, including President Vladimir Putin, he will also visit the 'Tomb of Unknown Soldiers' in the capital Moscow.

Prime Minister Modi's Russia itinerary is packed with several programmes, including a private lunch by President Putin, interaction with the Indian community in Russia and laying a wreath at the World War II memorial for lost soldiers.

What Is 'Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier'

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a war memorial dedicated to the Soviet soldiers who laid their lives against the Axis forces in World War II, between 1939 and 1945. After the Second World War ended on September 2, 1945, thousands of Soviet soldiers were reported missing or pronounced dead.

Located at the Kremlin Wall in the Alexander Garden in Moscow, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier now houses the remains of the soldiers killed in the 1941 War of Moscow fighting the Nazi German forces. The memorial was dedicated to the country on May 8, 1967.

The memorial hosts a special 'guard of honour' to the Kremlin Regiment. "On Immortalizing the Soviet People’s Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945," the plaque at the memorial reads.

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier: Splendid Monument

The dark red porphyry monument features a bronze sculpture of a laurel branch and a soldier's helmet resting on a banner. In front of the monument, there is a five-pointed star set in a square field of labradorite, from which the Eternal Flame burns.

This flame lights up a bronze inscription that reads, "Имя твоё неизвестно, подвиг твой бессмертен" (transliterated: Imya tvoyo neizvestno, podvig tvoy bessmerten, meaning "Your name is unknown, your deed is immortal").