Photo credit: function.mil.ru (CC BY 4.0)
The remains of three Russian soldiers from the First World War were reburied in France, TASS reports. They were buried with military honors in the Saint-Hilaire-de-Grands cemetery. It was created in 1916 to bury victims of the battles of the Marne. First, about 200 soldiers and officers of the Russian Expeditionary Force were buried there. Now about 1,000 dead are laid to rest there. 36 Soviet soldiers who died during World War II in France were also 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 victims - 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. According to Princess Elizaveta Obolenskaya, who heads the Association for the Memory of the Russian Expeditionary Force, it is very important that the soldiers will rest together with their brothers in arms.
Chairman of the ''Archives and Memory of the Russian Expeditionary Force'' Association Marie Belgu Mamontova is sure that the memory of fallen heroes has nothing to do with the modern political situation.
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
