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Monument to the Russian Expeditionary Force

The Monument to the Russian Expeditionary Force is a memorial in the historic center of Paris, on Canada Square in the 8th arrondissement, near the Pont Alexandre III. Created by Russian sculptor Vladimir Surovtsev, it was unveiled on 21 April 2011 in the presence of French Prime Minister François Fillon and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. The bronze composition shows a Russian non-commissioned officer in military dress holding a French helmet with the Russian double-headed eagle, alongside a horse drinking water. The sculptor conceived the work, titled "Spring," as a tribute to the soldier’s hope for peace and to fallen comrades. The pedestal bears an inscription in French and Russian about the Russian Expeditionary Force and its losses in France during World War I.

Monument to the Russian Expeditionary Force showing a uniformed man beside a horse with its head lowered, on a stone pedestal with Cyrillic and French inscriptions.
The Monument to the Russian Expeditionary Force depicts a uniformed man standing beside a horse on a inscribed stone pedestal.
October 2014 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Monument to the Russian Expeditionary Force showing a bronze military officer beside a horse on a granite pedestal.
The Monument to the Russian Expeditionary Force depicts a standing officer next to a horse on a dark granite base.
October 2014 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Bronze monument to the Russian Expeditionary Force showing a standing uniformed figure holding a cap beside a bowed horse on a stone base.
Monument to the Russian Expeditionary Force in Paris, with a standing soldier and bowed horse on a dark stone pedestal.
April 2014 © · CC BY 2.0
Monument to the Russian Expeditionary Force, showing a dark metal military figure beside a grazing horse on a stone base in a park.
The Monument to the Russian Expeditionary Force stands on a stone base in a park setting, with a military figure and horse in dark metal.
March 2016 © · CC BY 2.0
A man places flowers at the base of the Monument to the Russian Expeditionary Force while another person holds an umbrella nearby.
A wreath-laying ceremony at the Monument to the Russian Expeditionary Force.
November 2018 © Russian Presidential Press and Information Office · CC BY 4.0

Identification

TitleMonument to the Russian Expeditionary Force
Original titleПамятник воинам русского экспедиционного корпуса, воевавшим во Франции в 1915—1918 годах
TypeMemorial

Historical context

Referenced military forceRussian Expeditionary Corps
Referenced warWorld War I
SubjectThe Russian Expeditionary Force that operated in France during World War I (1915–1918)

Creator

ArtistRussian sculptor Vladimir Surovtsev

Discovery and provenance

Date of unveiling21 April 2011
Unveiling attendeesFrench Prime Minister François Fillon and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
Unveiling performanceThe march of the expeditionary corps, "Kol slaven," performed by the choir of the Sretensky Monastery

Materials

MaterialBronze

Physical characteristics

Depicted figureA non-commissioned officer of the Russian Army
Depicted objectA French helmet with the Russian double-headed eagle
Additional depicted elementA horse drinking water
Composition nameRodnik (Spring)
Depicted clothingRussian Army uniform

Iconography and meaning

InterpretationThe composition is intended to emphasize the soldier's dream of peace and the memory of fallen comrades
CommemoratesSoldiers and officers of the Russian Expeditionary Force who fought as part of the allied armies in 1915–1918

Location and ownership

LocationCanada Square, 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, near the Alexandre III Bridge
Inscription languageFrench and Russian
Inscription textIn 1916, at the request of the Allies, Russia sent two special brigades of the Russian Expeditionary Force to France. More than 20,000 people took part in the fighting in Champagne. More than 5,000 of them, Russian soldiers and officers, died on the battlefields of France.