Day of Military Glory of Russia - Day of the victory of the Russian army over the Swedes in the Battle of Poltava (1709)

The Battle of Poltava is one of the fateful battles for our country, which took place in 1709 in the fight against the Swedish army of conquerors Thanks to Russia's victory in this armed conflict, a turning point came in the Northern War and the end of Sweden's superiority over European states This day in modern Russia is celebrated as one of the days of military glory The Swedish War began in 1700, the struggle was to ensure the Russian Empire's access to the Baltic Sea and the liberation of part of the original Russian territories from the yoke of the Kingdom of Sweden The enemy had one big advantage - the strongest and most numerous army, which kept all of Europe in fear The first years of the war, Russia suffered only defeats, essentially losing its navy Since 1703, Peter I began to actively engage in military reform; by 1704, he managed to restore the Baltic Fleet and regain access to the Gulf of Finland After the Russian emperor managed to recapture Levonia from the Swedes and build a fortified city (St Petersburg) on ​​the territory close to Northern Europe, King Charles XII decided to devote all his efforts to conquering the central part of Russia, including Moscow Swedish troops decided to penetrate into the Center of Rus' through Ukraine, not yet realizing that they had thereby made a huge mistake In these parts they were caught in terrible weather conditions, an extremely cold winter for which no one was prepared In the fight against the elements, the Swedish army was reduced by a third On May 11, the enemy reached the walls of Poltava and began its siege Thanks to well-coordinated work and competent leadership under the leadership of Colonel Kelsin and General Menshikov, the city fortress survived, continuing the fight for victory By the end of May, the main power of the Russian Empire, led by Peter I, arrived to help the city The troops were stationed on the opposite bank from the city, on the left side of the Vorskla River By July 6, our army of over 42 thousand people moved to the opposite bank, concentrating near the village of Petrovka The Russian military fought with all their might to prevent the enemy from reaching Moscow and won a great victory The battle lasted almost three days, as a result, almost the entire enemy army was defeated, more than 9,000 Swedes died, 19 thousand were wounded and captured The Battle of Poltava became a turning point in the Northern War, but Russia was able to win the final victory only in 1721 1 Peter I after the Battle of Poltava received the rank of lieutenant general And this is not a mere formality, he really fought heroically among ordinary warriors, a real “miracle” saved him, three bullets flew past him, one hit his hat, the second his saddle, and the third his pectoral cross, which he always wore near his chest 2 The emperor had a cunning and inventive mind He ordered the best military men to be dressed in rookie uniforms; this tactic bore fruit and was subsequently used in many battles 3 In the last hours of the battle, there was a rumor that the Swedish king had fallen, but in fact he decided to show his acting talent, and under the guise of a dying man, he began shouting encouraging speeches, but it was too late, the “formidable and invincible” Swedish army had already capitulated 4 In 1710, in honor of the victory, Peter I ordered the construction of the Church of St Samsonia, because The victory in the great battle took place on the name day of this holy man On the 25th anniversary of the victory, the famous statue “Samson Tearing the Lion’s Jaw” was erected in Peterhof The animal is considered a symbol of Sweden, because it is depicted on the coat of arms of this state 5 The first modern celebration of this event took place in 1909; on the 200th anniversary of the victory, a medal “In Memory of the Battle of Poltava” was established, and a museum was opened at the site of the battle Holidays of Military Glory should remind us of our ancestors, who were real heroes, sacrificed their lives to preserve the independence and unity of the state On this day, we are obliged to remember and take as an example for ourselves how selflessly we need to love and defend our homeland, the exploits of our ancestors should not be forgotten