In his speech, the Chief of Staff drew particular attention to the merits of General Skobelev (1843–1882) in laying the foundations for the defenders of the Fatherland’s professional code, as well as ensuring the succession of generations in the Russian army and navy. General Skobelev, a member of a famous military dynasty, was a man of duty, a true patriot, and his example inspired many, Mr Ivanov remarked. The Chief of Staff of the Presidential Executive Office also noted that the General’s contemporaries spoke of him as a hero, equal to Alexander Suvorov (1730–1800), stating that the General had rightly earned this comparison to the great Russian commander.
The monument, created on the Russian Military Historical Society’s (RMHS) initiative, was unveiled today, on the Heroes of the Fatherland Day. The monument is a four-metre bronze equestrian statue of General Skobelev on a granite pedestal. Its sculptor is a National Artist of Russia and member of the Russian Academy of Arts Alexander Rukavishnikov.
The ceremony was also attended by Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky, who is also the chairman of the RMHS, head of the Society’s Scientific Council Central Election Commission Chairman Vladimir Churov, and the president of the Skobelev Committee International Society and two times Hero of the Soviet Union, cosmonaut Alexei Leonov.
