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Putin to attend festivities devoted to 200th anniversary of Battle of Borodino

The main events will start on Borodino field at 11:00

MOSCOW, September 2 (Itar-Tass) — Russian President Vladimir Putin will attend festivities devoted to the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Borodino, the Kremlin press service reports.

Honorary guests from France, Austria, Poland and other European countries as well as cultural workers, representatives of academic circles and general public, outstanding historians, representatives of religious confessions, the descendants of the heroes of the 1812 Patriotic War and veterans of the Great Patriotic War will arrive in Borodino village to see the re-enactment of the historical battle.

“The head of state is expected to talk to the foreign guests and representatives of military-patriotic clubs and to see a new exposition of the Borodino museum,” the Kremlin press service went on to say.

Putin will also lay flowers to the main monument to Russian heroes of the Battle of Borodino and will award the honorary title of the “City of Military Glory” to representatives of Mozhaisk and Maloyaroslavets, following decrees which the president signed on May 7.

Alexander Valkovich, the president of the International Military-Historical Association, said that enthusiasts from more than 120 historical clubs, including about 500 people from Europe, the United States and Canada will take part in the re-enactment of the battle that took place near Borodino 200 years ago.

Four hundred artillerists, 30 guns and about 300 riders will be involved in the re-enactment that will last for one hour and twenty minutes. Dressed in the uniforms of the armies of 1812, the participants will re-enact all the main episodes of the battle: attacks and counter-attacks around the Bagration fleches (military earthworks), the storm of the Rayevsky battery and the raid of Russian cavalry on the French army flanks.

The main events will start on Borodino field at 11:00: first, near Napoleon’s headquarters on the Shevardinsky redoubt and then on the Rayevsky battery, one of the main strongholds of Russian troops.