A memorial plaque commemorating Russian volunteers – participants of the Anglo-Boer War unveiled in a Bloemfontein museum

Russia’s Ambassador to South Africa H.E.Mr.Ilya Rogachev and Defence Attaché of the Embassy Col. Dmitrii Priimachuk as well as representatives of Russian Consulate General in Cape Town, took part in the event commemorating the Russians who had been involved in the Anglo-Boer War of 1899-1902 in Bloemfontein, Free State.

On 23 September 2021, ahead of Heritage Day in South Africa, a commemorative plaque was unveiled honouring Russian volunteers who had provided support to the Boer republics. On behalf of the Embassy of Russia in South Africa, a state flag of the Russian Federation was donated to the museum.

Creation of a single exhibition aimed at reminding of the international contribution to the Boer republics’ struggle was the idea of the Museum leadership and Russian national residing in South Africa Ms. Elina Komarova-Tagar. There are plans to deploy expositions dedicated to other countries whose citizens had supported the Boers during the war against Britain.

Addressing the participants of the event Ambassador I.Rogachev recalled that the Russians had displayed empathy and compassion for Transvaal and Orange Free State’s independence struggle against the British empire. More than 200 Russian volunteers had fought in the ranks of Boer armies. Russian Red Cross detachment and Russian-Dutch ambulance unit had been deployed in South Africa, which helped both combatants and civilians, provided humanitarian assistance to the prisoners of British concentration camps.

The Ambassador extended gratitude to South Africans for the preservation of the memory of the fallen Russians. “We highly appreciate that the memory of the Russian people who participated in the Anglo-Boer War lives on in South Africa. We can find artifacts related to this part of history in many local museums. In Utrecht there’s a monument dedicated to the renowned Russian officer Leo Pokrowsky who was killed in action in the vicinity of that town in December 1900,’ I.Rogachev noted.

The participants of the event laid wreaths to the memorials located in the Museum’s territory, in honour of the fallen soldiers and the civilians affected by the conflict, those who had perished during the war or in British concentration camps.