As part of the ceremonies dedicated to October 25, the Day of the Romanian Armed Forces, the remains of 594 Romanian soldiers who fell during the battles of Stalingrad (Volgograd) will be re-buried at Rossoska, the Russian Federation.

The religious service will be held by a Romanian priest.

MoD will be represented by a delegation led by the State Secretary for Parliament Liaison, Public Information and Personnel Welfare, Otilia Sava. The ceremony takes place in the attendance of representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, officials of the Russian Federation and foreign military attachees accredited to Moscow.

The project to inhume the remains of the Romanian soldiers in the same cemetery belongs to the National Office for Heroes' Memory and started in 2014. Started in 2015, on the Day of the Romanian Armed Forces, the Romanian Honorary Cemetery in Rossoska covers about 6,000 square meters. The layout of this first Romanian Honorary Cemetery in the Russian Federation is based on the Latin Cross primordial symbol of Christianity, of triumph and salvation. The commemorative cross is 4 meters high and a black plate at the base of the monument reads: In memoriam Romanian soldiers who fell in the battle of Stalingrad. On 22 black granite plates the names of the localities in Volgograd, Kalmikia area are engraved, where there were Romanian field graves, from where the remains of the Romanian soldiers were or are going to be exhumed to be brought to Rossoska.

Last year, the first bodies were exhumed in Volgograd, when the remains of 72 Romanian soldiers were identified, that were re-buried when the cemetery was inaugurated. The exhumations in the region continued in 2016. In Gromki in the area the battles took place, the remains of 594 Romanian soldiers were identified that will be moved to the Romanian social and cultural settlement in Rossoska.

The National Office for Heroes' Memory identified the graves of 4,345 Romanian soldiers who died in the battle of Volgograd and were buried in 65 field or mass graves.
The National Office for Heroes' Memory marked so far 15 places where Raomanian soldiers were buried who were prisoners of war in WW 2.

The cooperation in the field is regulated by the provisions of the Agreement between the Government of Romania and the Government of the Russian Federation on the juridical regime of the Romanian graves in the Russian Federation and the Russian graves in Romania, signed on November 8, 2005 and ratified by Law No. 413/2006.

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During the Eastern Campaign (June 1941 March 1944), the Romanian military was included in the combat plans of the Wehrmacht, on the southern flank: UKraine-Crimeea-Sea of Azov-Don-Stalingrad-Caucasus. In November 1942, the Romanian troops held the most vulnerable positions on the Don River and Kalmika Steppe, with poor coverage, equipment and supplies, while the Soviet counteroffenssive caused heavy losses, that amounted to 15,566 dead, 67,183 wounded and 98,692 missing during November 15, 1942 to March 15, 1943.

Press Department