Monument to heroes who fought for France during World War I.
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin unveiled a monument in central Paris on Tuesday dedicated to Russian soldiers who fought for France during World War I.
Russia's allies appealed for help in 1916. Russia answered by sending four independent brigades, 750 officers and 45,000 soldiers to France.
Together with the French, the soldiers took part in the fighting near Fort De La Pompelle, Reims, and Champagne Ardenne.
Displaying unparalleled courage, the Russian Expeditionary Force stopped the German troops near Reims in September 1916, having defended one of France's national symbols – the Notre-Dame Cathedral where French kings had been crowned since the 13th century.
French Marshal Foch said France was not erased from the face of Europe thanks to the valour of these Russians. Over 5,000 Russian officers and soldiers died in the fighting. Their regiments were disbanded after the revolution.
Putin and his French counterpart Francois Fillon agreed on a monument to the Russian soldiers in 2009. Honoured Artist of Russia Vladimir Surovtsev won a contest to design the monument.
Paris allocated land for the monument near the Grand Palais and Le Pont Alexander III. The sculpture depicts a simple Russian soldier calmly standing by a horse drinking water. The message is that a soldier wants and dreams of peace during his short breaks in between fighting. The sculptor said that he did not want to put up a soldier with a gun in central Paris.
At the unveiling ceremony, the French military orchestra played the Russian national anthem and the famous military march, Farewell of Slavianka.
When the cover was lifted from the monument, the orchestra played the march of the Russian Expeditionary Force, "Great and Glorious is the God of Zion."
At the ceremony, Fillon said that the Russian soldiers were the best of the best. They defended France in a vital moment in the country's history. He added that a Russian cultural centre will be built nearby, and the venue, the bridge and the future facility will become a centre for Russian-French friendship.
"Today, we pay tribute to the memory of our men and officers who fought for France far from their homeland –Russia – performing their duty with courage and honour," Vladimir Putin said at the ceremony. "These soldiers did everything to prevent the seizure of Paris. Russian battalions were in hell's corner, acting with fortitude in defence and with unmatched heroism during offensives."
Putin said the Soldiers' Committee unanimously decided to go into the worst battle near Paris.
"A quarter of these soldiers perished," Putin said. "When I think about this, I am proud of Russian soldiers."
He said that there were times when pages of history were rewritten to suit opportunistic considerations.
But the world must not idealise or scoff at history, Putin said, adding that the unveiling of the monument demonstrates France's warm attitude towards Russians.
Larisa Kaftan and Oleg Shevtsov