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Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday encouraged the Russian people to stand up to external challenges as Russia marked the first anniversary of Crimea's incorporation into the country.
Some 100,000 people flocked to a rally and concert titled "We are together" near the Kremlin at the heart of Moscow, the Russian capital, where elite Russian musicians performed.
While addressing the sea of audience, Putin dismissed Western sanctions against Russia and tried to boost national confidence amid current hardship.
"Of course, we will overcome the problems and obstacles that others try to create for us from outside," Putin said. "Such attempts are doomed to fail."
Earlier in the day, Putin held a meeting on the socioeconomic development of Crimea during which he admitted that Western sanctions has made it somewhat hard for Crimea and Russia as a whole, stressing that "none of this is fatal."
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev also extended his congratulations on the commemoration.
"An important new date appeared in Russian a year ago: signing the treaty on Crimea's reunification with Russia. Congratulations to us all," he said on his Twitter account.
It is reported that more than 300,000 people took part in Wednesday's celebrating events across Russia.
In Russia's far east city of Vladivostok, for instance, a peaceful demonstration was held with nearly 20,000 people marching through the city.
On March 18, 2014, Putin signed a treaty to integrate Crimea and its city of Sevastopol into Russia after a local referendum, which was not recognized by Ukraine and major Western countries. Enditem
