103 years ago, on November 11, 1918, World War I came to an end. On this day, representatives of post-revolutionary Germany signed the Compiègne Agreement, marking the capitulation of the Central Powers to the Allies.

A few days prior, Turkey and Austria-Hungary had ceased resistance, and the key document from the former allies of Russia was signed in the Compiègne Forest by Marshal Foch. Thus ended a war that claimed more than ten million lives and changed Europe.

The outcomes of World War I led to a shift in political power and borders in Europe in favor of the ten victorious countries. Russia, having paid a high price for victory, was not among them due to the humiliating agreement of the Bolsheviks, which led it into civil war.

Lenin implemented his plan, articulated in 1914, transforming the imperialist war into a civil one. The defeated were obliged to withdraw their troops and disarm.

More than a century has passed, but the memory of that war lives on not only in the participating countries but around the world. The poppy flower has become a symbol of this memory. Every year on November 11, memorial events take place, attended by the Royal Houses of Europe.

In our country, the perception of World War I was long distorted by Soviet propaganda. Only in the 21st century, as the centenary of the war approached, did we begin to erect monuments to the heroes of the Russian Imperial Army, and respect for them is gradually returning, while the truth about the war becomes more accessible.