Day of Military Glory of Russia - Day of the Battle of Borodino (1812)

The date of the Battle of Borodino, September 8, established by the Federal Law of Russia in 1995, is the most controversial and ambiguous for historians around the world Inaccuracies begin with the designation of the most memorable day The battle took place on August 26th according to the old style, which means September 7th according to the new style An error crept in when transferring the date from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar The situation with the name of the battle is interesting The French do not mention the name of the village of Borodino; they are attracted by the louder name “Battle on the Moscow River” This emphasizes the significance of the battle and its closeness to the heart of Russia Even more surprising is that the main battle of the Russian and French armies in the Patriotic War of 1812 did not bring the desired results to either side The French, under the command of Napoleon, were unable to defeat the enemy But the Russian troops, who fought desperately, only briefly held back the enemy on the way to the ancient Russian capital Domestic and foreign historians have completely different opinions regarding the outcome of the battle World military historiography speaks of the victory of Emperor Bonaparte Napoleon himself adhered to this opinion, comparing the battle with a battle of giants, but emphasizing that the Russian army was more than three times superior to the French For the Russian side, the battle near the village of Borodino became a harbinger of the victory of the entire Patriotic War The enemy was stopped and thoroughly beaten, the highest spirit of the army led by General Kutuzov was shown The general himself emphasized that the enemy retreated to its previous position, that is, did not advance towards Moscow And yet Napoleon occupied Moscow, but not bowed down with outstretched countless gifts, but burning, deserted, gloomy like a ghost town The Emperor of France realized too late that this was a cunning plan by the brilliant strategic genius Kutuzov The capital turned out to be a trap, all of Russia turned out to be a trap for the French troops, Napoleonic enterprise was a failure Historians may argue about the outcome of the Battle of Borodino, but the outcome of the War of 1812 is known to everyone A year later, the Russian military walked along the Champs Elysees as masters, as complete victors Paris was at their feet in awe and admiration September 8 became one of the greatest Days of Military Glory in Russian history All disputes among historians pale before the celebration of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino in 2012, when the presidents of the former warring countries were present at the site of historical reconstruction Vladimir Putin and Valéry Giscard d'Estaing showed an example of true patriotism, paying tribute to all those who died in the bloodiest battle of the 19th century This is a great page in the history of relations between Russia and France, which must continue in peace and friendliness