25.11.2015

Photograph exhibition dedicated to the war feats of Russia and Serbia in the Great War

In the Central Military Club, today, an exhibition of archival photographs dedicated to the heroic actions of Russia and Serbia during the years of the Great War was opened, and a collection of materials of the International scientific-social conference "The Great War and the beginning of a new world: the current agenda for humanity" was presented.

The exhibition was opened by Deputy Director General of the Central Exhibition Hall "Manjez" from Sankt Petersburg Tatiana Larina, who reminded us that all of humanity suffered during the years of the Great War, noting that even in these difficult times the Serbs and Russians and other brotherly nations helped each other.

The photograph exhibition includes unique Russian and Serbian materials. The setting is comprised of several thematic parts: declaration of war (manifestos of the Russian Emperor Nicholas II, political actions and demonstrations in St. Petersburg), the war on land (infantry, artillery, cavalry), the war at sea and in the air (air force and fleet), the organization of medical care on the battlefields and in the background. The photographs show the chronicle of the lives of Russian and Serbian officers and soldiers during the war on the front line, in the trenches and dugouts, during the brief moments of rest in a field kitchen or military hospital. In the section dedicated to the Air Force, there are photographs of pilot scouts, explorers and bombers with planes and air balloons in the background.

The event also presented the collection of materials of the International scientific-social conference "The Great War and the beginning of a new world: the current agenda for humanity", which was held last year in Belgrade on the occasion of the centenary of the beginning of the Great War and whose organization prompted a broad international dialogue of science and society on the most current aspects of the history of the Great War and its impact on the contemporary state of the system of international relations.

Welcoming the guests, Director of Odbrana Media Centre Colonel Stevica S Karapandzin said that the Central Military Club has so far organized nine exhibitions with the aim to worthily mark the anniversary of the Great War. He also reminded that, in the year behind us, Odbrana Media Centre published a number of books that talk about the Great War, as well as numerous articles and texts in the magazine "Odbrana". Colonel Karapandzin particularly singled out the book by Dr Mile Bjelajac "1914-2014 Why Revision - Old and new controversy about the causes of the Great War," which has also been published in Russian, noting that precisely this book has become mandatory literature at "Lomonosov" in the field of historical sciences.

Speaking about the collection, Vice President of the Centre of National Glory and Andrew the First-Called Foundation Zalina Medoeva pointed out that this is a collection that deals not only with history, but also with its impact on the present and future, while President of the Belgrade Forum for the World of Equals Zivadin Jovanovic pointed out that the collection is a testimony to the historically good Serbian-Russian relations.

Dean of the Faculty of History, Political Science, and Law of the Moscow State University Vardan Baghdasaryan stressed that the last year's conference had brought together historical experts from around the world who easily found parallels between the present period and the period of the Great War, reminding that, if forgotten, the history might repeat itself.

The interested public can see the exhibition in the Central Military Cub until 27 November, after which the exhibition will be moved to Banja Luka, to be presented to the audience of the Republika Srpska.