2022 Moscow rally

The Luzhniki Olympic Complex (Russian: Олимпийский комплекс «Лужники») is one of the biggest multifunctional sports complexes of the world, built between 1955 and 1956, located in the Khamovniki district of Moscow, Russia. Formerly known as the Central Lenin Complex, it served as the Olympic Park of the 1980 Summer Olympics. The complex can be reached by the Moscow Metro train, when leaving either Sportivnaya, Vorobyovy Gory or Luzhniki.

The Luzhniki disaster was a deadly human crush that took place at the Grand Sports Arena of the Central Lenin Stadium (Russian: Большая спортивная арена Центрального стадиона им. В. И. Ленина, now known as Luzhniki Stadium) in Moscow during the 1982–83 UEFA Cup match between FC Spartak Moscow and HFC Haarlem on 20 October 1982. According to the official enquiry, 66 FC Spartak Moscow fans, mostly adolescents, died in the stampede, which made it Russia's worst sporting disaster. The number of fatalities in this crush was not officially revealed until seven years later, in 1989. Until then, this figure varied in press reports from 3 to 340 fatalities. The circumstances of this disaster are similar to those of the second Ibrox disaster in Scotland.

Luzhniki Stadium (Russian: стадион «Лужники», IPA: [stədʲɪˈon lʊʐnʲɪˈkʲi], Stadion Luzhniki) is the national stadium of Russia, located in its capital city, Moscow. The full name of the stadium is Grand Sports Arena of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex. Its total seating capacity of 81,000 makes it the largest football stadium in Russia and the ninth-largest stadium in Europe. The stadium is a part of the Luzhniki Olympic Complex, and is located in Khamovniki District of the Central Administrative Okrug of Moscow city. The name Luzhniki derives from the flood meadows in the bend of Moskva River where the stadium was built, translating roughly as "The Meadows". The stadium is located at Luzhniki Street, 24, Moscow. Luzhniki was the main stadium of the 1980 Olympic Games, hosting the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as some of the competitions, including the final of the football tournament. A UEFA Category 4 stadium, Luzhniki hosted the UEFA Cup final in 1999 and UEFA Champions League final in 2008. The stadium also hosted such events as Summer Universiade, Goodwill Games and World Athletics Championships. It was the main stadium of the 2018 FIFA World Cup and hosted 7 matches of the tournament, including the opening match and the final. In the past, its field has been used as the home ground for many years of football rivals Spartak Moscow and CSKA Moscow. It is currently used for some matches of the Russia national football team, as well as being used for various other sporting events and for concerts. Luzhniki Stadium is currently the temporary home ground of FC Torpedo Moscow.

A concert and rally took place on 22 February 2023 at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. TASS reported that the rally commemorated Defender of the Fatherland Day. Ukrainska Pravda stated that the date was selected in reference to the starting date of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, 24 February 2022.RBC reported that President Vladimir Putin was expected to make an appearance, and RIA Novosti reported that a parliamentary source stated that Putin would speak at the rally. Ukrainska Pravda added that historical exhibits and Russian military equipment would also be on display. Argumenty i Fakty reported that around 200,000 people were expected to attend. Radio Liberty stated that people were being offered 500 RUB to attend a rally in Moscow, and presumed that the offer was for this rally. The Moscow Times stated that it had been reported that employees and students of Moscow Polytechnic University were ordered to attend and, if possible, to bring friends and family.The Russian constitution requires the president to address the Federal Assembly annually. At the time the rally was scheduled, the last address Putin had delivered to the Federal Assembly was on 21 April 2021. Putin is scheduled to address the assembly at Gostiny Dvor on 21 February 2023, the day before the rally. RBC reported that the rally can be interpreted as an extension to the address.

The Opening Ceremony of the 1980 Summer Olympics was the official opening ceremony held in the afternoon at 16:00 Moscow Time (UTC+3) on 19 July 1980 in the Grand Arena of the Central Lenin Stadium. It was attended by the Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, Leonid Brezhnev, and IOC President Lord Killanin. The 1980 opening ceremonies started a trend which changed the format of the ceremonies. Prior to 1980, Olympic opening ceremonies were truly "ceremonial", consisting of just the parade of nations and rituals associated with the official opening of the Games. The USSR wanted to put on a spectacle to impress the rest of the world, so an artistic performance was included after the ceremonial parts were finished. Since then, subsequent opening ceremonies have expanded on the artistic program, and it is now seen as the main event at the opening ceremonies.

The monument to Lenin in Luzhniki (Russian: Памятник Ленину) is a statue of Vladimir Lenin outside the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. It was installed in 1960 on the square in front of the central entrance of the stadium. The designers of the monument are the sculptor Matvey Manizer and the architect Igor Rozhin. The monument has the status of an identified cultural heritage site.

Luzhnetskaya Embankment is a street and embankment in Khamovniki District of Moscow along the Moskva River.

The Olympic Pool, formerly Swimming Pool of the Central Lenin Stadium is an aquatics center that is part of the Luzhniki Sports Complex in Moscow, Russia. It was opened in 1957 and renovated in 1980. The 10,500-seat venue hosted water polo events at the 1980 Summer Olympics. It also hosted events of the 1973 Summer Universiade, 12th World Festival of Youth and Students, 1986 Goodwill Games, Spartakiads of the Peoples of the USSR and others.Google satellite images show that the Olympic Pool has been demolished. In official reports by the mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin states that it will be reconstructed as an Multipurpose Aquatic Centre (link to the full report [1]). "Apart from the swimming pool, the facility will include a water area with fun rides, a fitness club and a spa centre."

The Luzhniki Small Sports Arena (formerly, the Minor Arena of the Central Lenin Stadium; Russian: Малая спортивная арена Лужники) is an 8,700-seat indoor arena that is part of the Luzhniki Sports Complex in Moscow, Russia. The Arena was built in 1956 in the Soviet Union. It hosted volleyball competitions during the 1980 Summer Olympics.It also hosted events of the 1973 Summer Universiade, 1986 Goodwill Games, Spartakiads of the Peoples of the USSR and others. The arena was the home arena of ice hockey club Dynamo Moscow from 2000–2015.

Vorobyovy Gory (Russian: Воробьёвы го́ры, lit. Sparrow Hills) is a Moscow Metro station. It is on the Sokolnicheskaya Line, between Universitet and Sportivnaya stations. Its name originates from a nearby elevated area literally translated as Sparrow Hills.

Luzhniki Metro Bridge (Russian: Лужнецкий метромост), also known as Metromost (Метромост), is a concrete double-decked (two-level) arch bridge carrying a road and a Moscow Metro line across the Moskva River in Moscow, Russia. It connects the neighbourhood of Luzhniki Stadium to Sparrow Hills. The bridge houses Vorobyovy Gory, the only station of Moscow Metro located over water. Designed in 1958 by V.G. Andreyev and N.N. Rudomasin (structural engineering), the bridge rapidly decayed and was rebuilt in 1997–2002.

Luzhniki (Russian: Лужники) is a station on the Moscow Central Circle of the Moscow Metro that opened in September 2016.