Youth movement celebrates Putin's birthday

MOSCOW, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- More than 10,000 members of Russia's Nashi youth movement gathered in Moscow Sunday to wish President Vladimir Putin a happy birthday.

Itar-Tass reported the youths set up more than 1,000 Russian flags around the Taras Shevchenko embankment for the presidential birthday celebration, which carried the motto "Congratulate the President, Congratulate the Country."

A representative for the movement, Kristina Potupchik, said the Nashi group was giving Putin a large "blanket of peace" adorned with symbols from many of Russia's ethnic cultures.

"Nashi want this blanket to be a symbol of the multinational and grand Russia," Potupchik said.

The youth movement also asked all major Russian churches to pray for the president's health during his birthday and created a giant birthday card to present to Putin.

The Russian news agency said that card was available Sunday for anyone to send birthday greetings to Putin.