On August 31, 2014, a solemn opening of a monument in honor of the heroes of World War I took place in Alexandrovsky Park in the city of Shakhty, timed to coincide with the 100th anniversary of its beginning.

World War I was of immense significance for the Don Cossacks, who participated in battles with forces of 125,000 Cossacks, 60 cavalry regiments, 33 cavalry batteries, 6 scout battalions, 5 reserve regiments, 3 reserve batteries, and more than 80 separate special hundreds.

From 1914 to 1918, the Don Cossacks demonstrated resilience, courage, and heroism, becoming an example for the entire world. 193 Don officers and over 3,700 rank-and-file Cossacks were awarded the Orders of St. George, St. George's weapons, St. George's crosses, and medals. The first private soldier to receive the St. George's Cross, the most prestigious soldier's award during World War I, was Don Cossack Kuzma Firsovich Kryuchkov from the village of Nizhne-Kalmykovsky of the Ust-Medveditskaya stanitsa. Among the most respected Don generals of the war were Alexei Maximovich Kaledin, the organizer of the Lutsk breakthrough, and the commander of the Cossack corps, Pyotr Nikolayevich Krasnov.

The monument features a two-headed eagle on a pedestal, holding a cadet standard with the monogram of the last Russian emperor, Nicholas II, in its claws. The names of all Don Cossack units that participated in World War I are engraved on the plates under the eagle's wings.