Stories of Remembrance — ANZAC Day Series 2026
In this piece, Aliona Kosloff and Brenton DeLurant explore a lesser-known chapter of ANZAC history — the stories of those often referred to as the “Russian ANZACs.”
The story begins with the Australian Army’s role in the First World War — from Gallipoli to the Western Front — and gradually opens into a broader historical perspective.
For many, a surprising connection emerges through the work of Russian writer Korney Chukovsky, who encountered Australian soldiers in England during the war. His reflections — shaped through conversations and encounters, including with figures such as Arthur Conan Doyle — captured a powerful impression of the ANZACs.
He described them as free-spirited, resilient, and defined not by rigid hierarchy, but by a sense of equality and camaraderie — an image that would resonate far beyond the battlefield and contribute to how Australia and its people were perceived in the Russian Empire.
Not every ANZAC was born in Australia.
More than 900 men born across the Russian Empire enlisted in the Australian Imperial Force, serving alongside Australian soldiers at Gallipoli, on the Western Front, and beyond.
They came from many different backgrounds — Russians, Ukrainians, Jews, Poles, Finns, and others — migrants who had made Australia their home, and who chose to serve it in a time of war.
In the trenches, origin no longer mattered. What remained were shared experiences — endurance, loyalty, and survival.
This conversation offers a thoughtful introduction to that history — a reminder that the ANZAC story is also a story of migration, identity, and belonging.
Lest We Forget.
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Prima Nota Inc.
ANZAC Day Series 2026
Stories of Remembrance
Adelaide, South Australia
Shared as part of our ongoing work with Russian-speaking communities in South Australia.
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With sincere thanks to those who made this story possible:
Aliona Kosloff and Brenton DeLurant — for narration
Victoria Yugin (Prima Nota Managing Committee Member),
Russian-Speaking Women’s Association in South Australia,
and historian Elena Govor — for historical material and research support
