#HistoryOfRussia

⚔️ March 31 – a memorable date in Russia’s military history.

#OTD in 1814, Paris – the capital of Napoleonic France – was taken by the Russian Army. At noon on that historic day, Russian troops led by Emperor Alexander I himself triumphantly entered the city.

�� Alexander Krasnokutsky, a lieutenant colonel in the Russian Army who witnessed these events firsthand, later wrote:

“The most magnificent entry of Russian troops into Paris was illuminated by the purest rays of sunlight – a testament to the righteousness of the Russians”.

- A Russian Officer’s View of Paris in 18

14

The capture of the French capital was preceded by fierce fighting on the approaches to the city. Russia paid a heavy price in the battle, losing around 6,000 men – the last losses suffered by the Russian Army in its campaigns against Napoleon beyond Russia’s borders.

�� After the fall of Paris, Napoleon – under pressure from his marshals – abdicated the throne. Meanwhile, the Cossacks famously watered their horses in the Seine, a scene that became one of the enduring symbols of Russia’s victory.

© �� Russian Military Historical Society