Introduction
As befits both the scale of the battle and the importance accorded to the bicentenary commemorations being organised in France and Russia this year, the re-enactment event held in Borodino on 2 September 2012 proved grand in every sense of the word. Although organisers initially anticipated crowds of 200,000, the gloomy weather and rain meant that just 100,000 spectators turned up to watch the battle unfold. Some 3,000 enthusiasts, drawn from all over the Russian Federation and Europe, took part in the event, alongside 300 horses and huge numbers of cannons, tents and other battlefield equipment. Amongst the hundred thousands spectators were also descendents of some of the participants, including the great-grandson of General Kutuzov. Representing the French was former president Valery Giscard d'Estaing. It has been reported that the Moscow and regional authorities spent about $1 million on the event, which also saw Russian president Vladimir Putin deliver the keynote address in which he used the battle to call for national unity and patriotism. Below you will find a series of articles and links available on the internet, including plenty of photographs and footage from the battle itself.
Borodino on the web
The Embassy of the Russian Federation to the United Kingdom has published a translation of the speech that Vladimir Putin delivered on the day and you can read a report of the event on the Reuters website.
The news websites ABC (Australia), The Daily Telegraph (UK) and Russia Today (Russia) all feature extensive footage from the battle.
The blog Victor Triple (Russia) and The Washington Post (USA) both feature some fantastic photographs taken from event. Those of you on Facebook can also access the Borodino album posted by the Souvenir Napoléonien (Facebook account required).