Moscow, October 3 (KCNA) -- Russian President Dmitri Medvedev called for preserving monuments to war heroes.

Speaking at a meeting with culturati in Smolensk on Sept. 29, the president said local governments should not totally depend on the federal government and the Ministry of Culture but encourage leading officials of their regions to pay deep concern to preserving the monuments and invest in the work.

Businesses should also have a patriotic view of the work and pay due attention to it, he added.