6 January 1813 of the year (25 December 1812 of the old style), the emperor of the Russian Empire, Alexander I, issued the Imperial manifesto on the "expulsion of the adversary." In December 1812, the pitiful remnants of Napoleon's "Great Army" fled from Great Russia. From almost 600 thousandth army of the great commander, only a little more than 20 thousand were able to carry away the legs of Russia, moreover, in the most miserable condition, sick, frozen, with a broken spirit.Often the literature speaks of the Russian-French war, but one should not forget that this was practically a pan-European invasion of Russia. Not for nothing in the manifesto said about the "two languages". The genius of Napoleon and the forces behind him gathered hordes of French, Spanish, Italians, Portuguese, Dutch, Belgians, Poles, Germans of different languages, Saxons, Bavarians, Austrians, Prussians, Westphans (there was not a single Germany, but there were many Germans) against the Russian civilization. States). The forces of the West were well prepared: they cultivated a brilliant "Fuhrer", gathered under his banner a whole galaxy of beautiful generals (Pears, Davout, MacDonald, Murat, Ney, Oudinot, etc.), hardened his army in cruel victorious battles, gave him almost all of Europe ( besides his “lair” - London), he was supported by the strength and resources of other European powers (Austria, Prussia).
But there is a law of the Universe - "Russia stood, stands and will stand at the Throne of the Most High." It does not exceed anyone. It was not for nothing that the Russian genius L. Tolstoy wrote that the one who encroached on the Russian Land must die, the invaders should not be taken prisoner, they should be destroyed.
The invaders brought death and ruin to Russia. Hundreds of villages and villages were turned into nothing, many cities were destroyed. Smolensk and Moscow were almost completely destroyed. Many provinces were depopulated, so the population of the Pskov and Smolensk provinces recovered only by the middle of the XNUMXth century. Destroyed by fires, or stolen by marauders of thousands of relics and historical sources (only one scroll "The Lay of Igor's Campaign" is worth something), many of them will end up in the secret repositories of Europe. In the provinces, where the hurricane of war swept through, industry and agriculture were destroyed, and damage was inflicted on many billions of gold rubles.
Modern Russian people should remember about that War and honor the memory of the ancestors who defended the Motherland. And do not support tolerastov who erect or want to erect monuments to the "common victims of war." There are no “common victims”, there are Defenders of the Fatherland and invaders. Accordingly, we must remember and honor our valiant ancestors, and not those who have found their well-deserved death in Russia.