<p> Leading Russian musicians today staged a classical concert in the ancient theatre of Syria's ravaged Palmyra in a show by the Kremlin to herald its successes in the war-torn country.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Famed conductor Valery Gergiev led Saint Petersburg's celebrated Mariinsky orchestra through pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, Sergei Prokofiev and Rodion Shchedrin in front of a crowd of Russian soldiers, government ministers and journalists.<br /><br />Cellist Sergei Roldugin -- a personal friend of President Vladimir Putin recently caught up in the scandal over the leaked Panama Papers -- played a solo against the stunning backdrop of the Roman amphitheatre where jihadists from the Islamic State group staged mass executions less than a year ago.<br /><br />"Thank you for today's amazing humanitarian act -- the concert in a Palmyra liberated from terrorists," Putin said in an address from Russia broadcast at the start of the concert.<br /><br />"I see it as a sign of gratitude, of remembrance, of hope," Putin said.<br />Syrian troops backed by Russian air strikes and special forces on the ground recaptured UNESCO world heritage site Palmyra from Islamic State group fighters in late March, delivering a major propaganda coup for both Damascus and Moscow.<br /><br />Russian army sappers said last month that they had demined the ancient site -- known as the "Pearl of the Desert" -- where jihadist fighters blew up ancient temples and looted relics.<br /><br />The Kremlin has shipped foreign journalists to the concert as it basks in the retaking of Palmyra, one of the most significant achievements since it launched a bombing campaign, criticised by the West, to support ally President Bashar al-Assad in September.<br /><br />Putin said that he saw the concert as a sign "of hope not just for the rebirth of Palmyra as a cultural asset for the whole of humanity, but for seeing modern civilisation rid itself of this terrible scourge of international terrorism".<br /><br />Mikhail Pyotrovsky, the director of Russia's Hermitage Museum, told journalists at the scene that "Palmyra is injured but she has not been killed" and pledged help in restoring it.<br /><br />Sitting in the audience, Syrian tour guide Anwar Al-Omar told AFP that while he thought only Russia could help rebuild the ancient town he was downbeat about its prospects in the long-term.</p>
<p> Leading Russian musicians today staged a classical concert in the ancient theatre of Syria's ravaged Palmyra in a show by the Kremlin to herald its successes in the war-torn country.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Famed conductor Valery Gergiev led Saint Petersburg's celebrated Mariinsky orchestra through pieces by Johann Sebastian Bach, Sergei Prokofiev and Rodion Shchedrin in front of a crowd of Russian soldiers, government ministers and journalists.<br /><br />Cellist Sergei Roldugin -- a personal friend of President Vladimir Putin recently caught up in the scandal over the leaked Panama Papers -- played a solo against the stunning backdrop of the Roman amphitheatre where jihadists from the Islamic State group staged mass executions less than a year ago.<br /><br />"Thank you for today's amazing humanitarian act -- the concert in a Palmyra liberated from terrorists," Putin said in an address from Russia broadcast at the start of the concert.<br /><br />"I see it as a sign of gratitude, of remembrance, of hope," Putin said.<br />Syrian troops backed by Russian air strikes and special forces on the ground recaptured UNESCO world heritage site Palmyra from Islamic State group fighters in late March, delivering a major propaganda coup for both Damascus and Moscow.<br /><br />Russian army sappers said last month that they had demined the ancient site -- known as the "Pearl of the Desert" -- where jihadist fighters blew up ancient temples and looted relics.<br /><br />The Kremlin has shipped foreign journalists to the concert as it basks in the retaking of Palmyra, one of the most significant achievements since it launched a bombing campaign, criticised by the West, to support ally President Bashar al-Assad in September.<br /><br />Putin said that he saw the concert as a sign "of hope not just for the rebirth of Palmyra as a cultural asset for the whole of humanity, but for seeing modern civilisation rid itself of this terrible scourge of international terrorism".<br /><br />Mikhail Pyotrovsky, the director of Russia's Hermitage Museum, told journalists at the scene that "Palmyra is injured but she has not been killed" and pledged help in restoring it.<br /><br />Sitting in the audience, Syrian tour guide Anwar Al-Omar told AFP that while he thought only Russia could help rebuild the ancient town he was downbeat about its prospects in the long-term.</p>