Memorial to Serbian and Russian troops unveiled

Memorial to Serbian and Russian troops unveiled

Serbian President Tomislav Nikolić and President of Russia St. Andrew the First-Called Foundation Vladimir Yakunin unveiled the monument, while Serbian Orthodox Patriarch Irinej blessed it together with an envoy from Russian Patriarch Kirill.

"Standing before this monument, we recall how the Great War tested that brotherly bond between our two nations, and among all the Slavic nations, 100 years ago. It is a great history lesson that passes a moral of friendship and exalted sacrifice from generation to generation," Nikolić noted.

He added that the Austro-Hungarians declared war on the Kingdom of Serbia on July 28, 1914 and that Belgrade had been bombed from the other side of the Sava the very following day, while Russia, itself unprepared for warfare, had mobilized its forces, entered into the war and begun to send military, material and financial assistance to Serbia.

By the end of the war, Russia formed a river flotilla whose main task was to deliver military assistance to Serbia. The Russian expedition was made up of both coastal and anti-aircraft artillery and more than 1,500 Russian soldiers laid down their lives for Serbia’s freedom during the war mission.

Nikolić said that Serbia owed a debt of gratitude to the Foundation and the Center of National Glory of Russia who had presented the citizens of Belgrade with the monument symbolizing the joint defense by Russian and Serbian soldiers.

The memorial was erected in honor of distant ancestors who protected their honor and their faith, and today's generations should keep the memory of the heroism of their ancestors, Yakunin stated. Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandr Chepurin stressed that the memorial was the first joint monument to Serbian and Russian soldiers who died in the war.

Belgrade Mayor Siniša Mali said the memorial would help Belgrade preserve the memory of Russian and Serbian heroes from a war that was ruthless in both the number of victims and its consequences.

Belgrade will get yet another monument this year, dedicated to Russian emperor Nicholas II, which will be another form of gratitude to a great friend of Serbia's, Mali remarked.

The memorial is a gift from the Regional Social Fund Center of National Glory and St. Andrew's Foundation meant to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of World War One.

It is in the form of a cross with the image of St. George carved on it and a text at its base, which is in both Russian and Serbian.

St. George is the patron saint of both the Russian and Serbian armed forces.

The memorial is made of granite and bronze and is 2.7 m tall. It was made by a group of authors led by member of the Russian Academy of Arts A.S. Charkin and architect J.M. Pavlov.