A military ceremony dedicated to the heroes who died 130 years ago in Pleven during the War of Independency, will occur Monday, December 10, at 11 a.m. at the Grave of the Unknown Soldier in Parcul Carol. The Chief of General Staff, Admiral Gheorghe Marin and chiefs of Services will lay wreaths during the event.

In the same time, a MoD delegation headed by Rear-Admiral Victor Barbu will be in Pleven, Bulgaria and will lay wreaths in the places the Romanian military paid their supreme sacrifice in the combats for this place's liberation.


To gain the independency, our country declared war to the Ottoman Empire on April 29, 1877 (May 11, new stile) and on May 9 (May 21, new stile) the Parliament proclaimed the State Independency of Romania.
At request of the Russian allied, the Romanian armed forces crossed the Danube river on August 1877 and had heavy combats in Grivita and Rahova against the Ottoman troops. On November 28, 1877 (December 10, new stile) was the final assault on Pleven where the Romanian armed forces had an important contribution and the commander of the Ottoman army, General Osman Pasha surrendered to Colonel Mihail Cerchez, commander of the 2nd Romanian Division. The surrender of Pleven was of a decisive importance for the development of the war.
Due to the fights carried by the Romanians during the 1877-78 campaign, Romania got the legitimacy on the fields of combats to gain the Independency of State and the Romanian Armed Forces got a page of glory in the Romanian people's Book of Honor.

MoD Press Office