Russia proposes establishing day to mark defeat of Napoleon’s army

A Russian public organisation has proposed introducing a new official Day of Military Glory to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon’s army during the Patriotic War of 1812.

Alexander Korsunov, head of the interregional public movement Healthy Choice, has appealed to State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin with a request to designate December 26 as the Day of the Defeat of Napoleon’s Army by Russian Forces under the Command of Mikhail Kutuzov, according to Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti.

In his appeal, Korsunov called for the date to be formally added to the federal law On Commemorative Dates and Days of Military Glory of the Russian Federation. He argues that December 26, 1812, marked the final conclusion of the campaign, when the remnants of Napoleon’s Grand Army crossed the Neman River and withdrew from the territory of the Russian Empire. Russian forces subsequently took control of key border cities, including Białystok and Brest-Litovsk.

Speaking to RIA Novosti, Korsunov said the proposal was intended to safeguard what he described as “historical truth”, rather than to introduce a symbolic celebration. He claimed that formal recognition of the date would serve as a legal mechanism to counter what he called the distortion of Russia’s historical role in Europe.

He added that enshrining such commemorative dates in federal law would establish an official historical position that could not be “arbitrarily reinterpreted”.

Korsunov also argued that Western governments and media outlets were promoting a narrative portraying Russia as a historical aggressor, and said that highlighting past conflicts — including Napoleon’s invasion — would challenge that perception.

“We are convinced that one of the key objectives of Western propaganda today is to form and entrench the image of Russia as a historical and contemporary aggressor. Countering this is possible not only through informational statements, but also through the systematic legalisation of commemorative dates in their real historical context—demonstrating that over the past centuries it was European states, including France, that repeatedly acted as aggressors towards Russia,” Korsunov stressed.

By Vugar Khalilov