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Russian diplomats thanked French search teams who discovered the remains of Russian soldiers, TASS reports. Soldiers of the Russian Expeditionary Force died in battles defending France during the First World War.
Unfortunately, the Russian Embassy added, Russians were not invited to the official burial ceremony of the heroes who gave their lives for the freedom of the French people and for their country. Russophobia, which is being fanned by Paris, has also spread to the sphere of historical memory, the embassy added.
Diplomats promised that they would find an opportunity to pay tribute to the memory of the fallen soldiers in the near future.
The remains of three Russian soldiers from the First World War were reburied in the Saint-Hilaire-de-Grands cemetery in France. It was created in 1916 to bury victims of the battles of the Marne. About 200 soldiers and officers of the Russian Expeditionary Force are buried there.
Archaeologists discovered the remains of six Russian soldiers a month ago. Scientists explored the area in the commune of Courcy near Reims in northern France. Personal tags and fragments of uniforms were brought to the surface along with the remains. Thanks to this, it was possible to establish the names of two fallen soldiers - Yakov Pastukhov and Yakov Korotkov. The remains of three more will be buried later, when researchers have finished studying them.
The ceremony took place with the participation of French veterans' organizations and municipal authorities.
The Russian Expeditionary Force was sent to France by Emperor Nicholas II. It included about 50,000 people. Thanks to Russian help, France managed to hold back the onslaught of German divisions. For their courage and bravery, Russian soldiers were called the ''legion of honor'' in France.
Russkiy Mir
