The Polish President, Andrzej Duda, attended a state ceremony in the capital to mark the eve of the 77th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising against the Nazi occupation.

       Speaking to an audience including some of the veterans who took part, Duda spoke about the courage of those who risked their lives to regain freedom from the Nazis.

       "Those who achieved victory in 1920 against the Soviet Union and saved the independence of Poland, made their children grow up here, in Warsaw, in an atmosphere of patriotism and love for freedom and sovereignty."

       The Warsaw Uprising, despite its initial success, ended after 63 days and cost the lives of some 10,000 fighters and up to 200,000 residents who were killed in the struggle and the German bombings.

       The centre-right candidate to succeed German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Armin Laschet, took part in the ceremony and made a statement in front of the statue known as the Little Insurrectionist.

       The statue commemorates the underaged soldiers who took part in the uprising