Monument to the Russian Expeditionary Force, War memorial at Place du Canada, Paris, France.
The Monument to the Russian Expeditionary Force stands at Place du Canada in the 8th arrondissement. It shows a bronze soldier in uniform holding a helmet at his side, with his left hand on the neck of a horse whose head is lowered. The base bears the inscription "AUX SOLDATS RUSSES COMBATTANT SUR LE FRONT FRANCAIS 1916-1918" and a plaque with French text beginning "A LA MEMOIRE DES SOLDATS ET OFFICIERS".
The memorial was created to honor Russian soldiers who served in France between 1916 and 1918 as part of a military mission during World War I. This cooperation was crucial to the war effort during that period.
The monument carries the same inscription in French and Russian, stating that Russia sent two special brigades to France in 1916 at the Allies' request, that over 20,000 men fought in Champagne, and that more than 5,000 Russian soldiers and officers died on French battlefields. At the 2011 unveiling, the choir of the Sretensky Monastery sang the corps' march, "Kol Slaven".
The monument stands on Place du Canada, a short walk from the Pont Alexandre III and the Grand Palais in the 8th arrondissement. It is fully outdoors and visible at any hour; the bronze figures and the inscriptions on the base are best read in daylight. The square is level and open, with no steps or barriers around the base.
The soldier holds a French helmet bearing the Russian double-headed eagle, worn by the corps' special-purpose troops. Sculptor Vladimir Surovtsev titled the composition "Rodnik" (Spring): the lowered horse head marks a soldier's dream of peace and the memory of fallen comrades. At the 2011 unveiling the Sretensky Monastery choir sang the corps march "Kol slaven".
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