In defiant note, Russian orchestra to play Syria's Palmyra amphitheatre

Russia's famous Mariinsky Theatre orchestra will stage a classical music concert in the amphitheatre of Syria's Palmyra later on Thursday, just over a month after Russian air strikes helped push Islamic State militants from the ancient city.

The Kremlin said the concert, which will be conducted by Valery Gergiev, a strong supporter of President Vladimir Putin, was a brilliant way of showing solidarity with Russian forces fighting in Syria as well as the Syrian army.

"The masters of culture are showing their solidarity by standing by those fighting terrorists," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters in Moscow ahead of the concert. "This of course deserves the highest appreciation."

The event, to be held in the city's Roman amphitheatre, is called "With a prayer about Palmyra. Music revives the ancient walls", and is due to start at 1700 Moscow time (1400 GMT), the Mariinsky said on its web site.

Islamic State used the amphitheatre as a venue to conduct public executions.

Russian special forces called in air strikes in March to help the Syrian government retake the city and Russian engineers later demined Palmyra. Moscow has also said its experts are ready to help restore the city, a UNESCO world heritage site, parts of which militants destroyed.

Thursday's concert has echoes of a similar performance, also conducted by Gergiev, in August 2008, when the Mariinsky performed in front of the bombed out parliament of the self-proclaimed Republic of South Ossetia after Russian forces defeated the Georgian army in a short war over the territory.