Russia and France buried their soldiers 200 years after Napoleon’s defeat

The remains of Russian and French soldiers who died during the withdrawal from Russia in 1812 They were buried this Saturday near the Viazma battlefield, in an unusual moment of unity between the two countries in the year of the bicentenary of Napoleon’s death.

Under snow and a temperature of 15 degrees below zero, the 126 remains spread over eight coffins, covered with the flags of the two countries, were buried to the sound of a cannon salute in the presence of a hundred extras in period dress, and the descendants of great Russian and French military leaders of the time.

The bodies were found in a mass grave between Smolensk and Moscow.

These 120 soldiers, three probable wives who followed their husbands in the military campaigns and three teenagers – possibly drummers – died during or on the occasion of the battle of Viazma on November 3, 1812, two weeks after the start of the withdrawal which tragically culminated shortly thereafter, with multiple losses during the crossing of the Berézina river.

Saturday’s ceremony in Viazma, about 200 kilometers west of Moscow, reflects a moment of unity as Russia disagrees with the West on multiple issues.

“Death puts everyone on an equal footing: everyone is in the same grave“he claimed Yulia Khitrovo, 74, great-great-granddaughter of the Tsar’s commanding general, Mikhail Kutuzov.

“I am very happy to be present at this ceremony, symbol of the mutual respect of the parties», He told the news agency AFP the prince Joachim Murat, great-great-grandson of the famous Marshal of Napoleon, present at the funeral.

Pierre Malinowski, president of the Foundation for the development of Franco-Russian historical initiatives, promoter of the event, thanked the presence of these “direct descendants of the main actors of the conflict“Who together commemorate these soldiers”,ruled by their ancestors“.

The remains were unearthed in 2019 by a team of Russian and French archaeologists, southwest of Viazma, a town of 52,000 inhabitants. A decade earlier, an excavator found them during construction.

History buffs thought it was one of the many mass graves from WWII, but an expert report from the Russian Academy of Sciences concluded that They were victims of Napoleon’s campaign, many between 30 and 39, explained to AFP anthropologist Tatiana Chvedchikova.

The Russian campaign has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.

(With information from AFP)

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