In August 2014 President Vladimir Putin inaugurated a monument, erected on the Poklonnaya Gora Hill in Moscow and dedicated to Russian soldiers who fell during the First World War. Putin loudly declared that their victory was stolen from his country. According to his words, "it was stolen by those who called for the defeat of their homeland and army, …betraying the national interests". The paper focused on the main political trends which made their impact on commemoration of the WWI in Russia. This war in Russia, like other post-Soviet states, has remained in the shadow of the Second World War. The history of that global conflict has been not discussed and remembered as widely as the history of the "Great Patriotic War". The centenary of the Great War undoubtfully raised interest in the events of the First World War in the post-Soviet space. The paper traces official and non-official, as well as religious commemoration. Since 2014 monuments, commemorative crosses and plaques were erected and inaugurated in various Russian cities and regions. Russia established a new military museum at Tsarkoe Selo. A series of TV programs were produced by mass media to preserve the memory of the Empire, and the Imperial Army who fought in that global conflict. Exhibitions were organized in museums. During the centenary many people in Russia organized themselves to pay tribute to the memory of the fallen from 1914-1918. Collaborative initiatives of local enthusiasts and municipalities resulted in erection of war monuments. The Russian Orthodox Church also played a notable role in all commemorative events. The centenary and the memory of the WWI were actively used in Russia in political, diplomatic, sociocultural spheres. Russian authorities, using the centenary events, attempted to project a positive image of Russia to the world. Several institutions have actively promoted commemorative activities in neighboring states (Belarus, Moldova, the Baltic states). The state included actively the Russian diasporas in centenary commemorations in European countries and America. In Russia commemorative events also became a political issue. The Russian propaganda put strong emphasis on victories of the Russian Imperial army.
