Thousand of people have attended a celebration in Moscow's Red Square to mark the second anniversary of President Vladimir Putin's inauguration.

Most of them were reported to be students and war veterans taking part in what correspondents describe as a tightly organised, Soviet-style rally.

It coincided with preparations which are already under way for much larger nationwide celebrations on Thursday, marking victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.

The main telephone company in Moscow Rostelcom says veterans of the war will be able to make free telephone calls for the day to anywhere within the former Soviet Union.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service