12 April 2011 Last updated at 17:06

In pictures: Russia remembers Gagarin's flight

People mark Yuri Gagarin's first manned space flight in St Petersburg on 12 April 2011

Russians have been celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first human space flight by cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. The trip blasted off from Kazakhstan at 0907 local time on 12 April 1961 and lasted 108 minutes.

Gagarin's portrait reflects in the glasses of a woman in St Petersburg on 12 April 2011

Gagarin's portrait reflects in the glasses of a woman wearing a mock space helmet in St Petersburg.

A visitor at an exhibition of Soviet space placards in Krasnoyarsk on 12 April 2011

It was a major propaganda victory for the Soviet Union at a time of intense competition with the US, as demonstrated by this exhibition of Soviet space placards at the Museum of Modern Art in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev speaks from near Moscow by video link to astronauts in the International Space Station on 12 April 2011

In a live video link-up with the crew of the International Space Station (ISS), Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said space exploration would continue to be a priority for his country. He also said humanity would continue to invest in space - an allusion to the spirit of international co-operation in space represented by the ISS.

Dmitry Medvedev speaks to Yuri Gagarin's widow in the Kremlin on 12 April 2011

Later, in a glitzy ceremony at the Kremlin, Mr Medvedev handed out medals to former cosmonauts, from Russia and elsewhere. The ceremony was attended by the rarely seen widow of Yuri Gagarin, Valentina (right).

A boy holds a toy spaceship in front of photos of Gagarin in the Russian city of Stavropol on 12 April 2011

Space enthusiasts gathered, schools dedicated special lessons to Gagarin's achievement and state TV broadcast hours of documentaries and films to mark the occasion.

Russians lay flowers at Gagarin's grave in the Kremlin wall in Moscow on 12 April 2011

Across the country Russians laid flowers at memorials to Gagarin - including at his memorial site in the Kremlin wall.

Space experts mark Gagarin's achievement in central London on 12 April 2011

There were commemorations elsewhere, including by these space experts in London.

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In pictures: Russia remembers Gagarin's flight

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