Russia pays tribute to soldiers who fought British colonial rule in South Africa
The ceremony, held in KwaZulu-Natal Province, included a religious service led by Archpriest Daniil Lugovoy of the Church of St. Sergius of Radonezh in Midrand. A wreath-laying ceremony followed at the monument to Captain Leo Pokrovsky and the Wall of Remembrance, which lists the names of 90 Russian volunteers who died in the conflict.
Pokrovsky was among many foreign volunteers who traveled to South Africa in the early 20th century to support the Boers, a group of predominantly Dutch-descended settlers, in their war against Britain.
The Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902), the most destructive conflict in modern South African history, pitted the British Empire against the Boer republics – the South African Republic (Transvaal) and the Orange Free State. Historians widely believe Britain's push to control the world's largest gold-mining complex at the time was the main driver of the war. While London justified its actions by claiming suzerainty over the region, many neutral nations sided with the Boers. Thousands of volunteers from the German Empire, the US, Russia, and even British territories such as Australia and Ireland, joined the fight against Britain.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ambarov underscored the importance of preserving historical memory and recognizing the Russian volunteers who died fighting for Boer independence.
'We are grateful to the parish of the Dutch Reformed Church in Utrecht for caring for the monument to Captain Leo Pokrovsky, who heroically died in the fight for the freedom of the Boers,' Ambarov said.
As part of the commemoration, the Russian Embassy in South Africa presented several historical artifacts to the House-Museum of the Parish Priest in Utrecht. Among the items was a declassified archival document translated into Afrikaans, featuring a resolution by Russian Emperor Nicholas II, the last reigning emperor of Russia. The document was a response to a letter from his mother, Empress Maria Fyodorovna, who had proposed humanitarian aid for Boer women and children through the Red Cross.
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