🇷🇺 November 4 – Russia's National #UnityDay and a Day of Russia’s Military Glory #OTD Russia commemorates the liberation of Moscow from Polish-Lithuanian forces in 1612 – a turning point in overcoming the Time of Troubles, one of the darkest chapters in the country’s history. At the heart of this struggle for the future of the entire nation was the Second People’s Militia, raised in Nizhny Novgorod under the leadership of Kuzma Minin and commanded by Prince Dmitry Pozharsky. Following the collapse of the First People’s Militia, a new volunteer force began to assemble in the autumn of 1611. Inspired by Patriarch Hermogen’s call to defend the Orthodox faith and the Motherland, the people of Nizhny Novgorod rallied around Minin, contributing money, weapons and supplies. Nobles, merchants, Cossacks, townspeople and peasants joined a common cause: to free their country from foreign invaders and occupation. ⚔️ By late summer 1612, the militia had reached Moscow, where the Polish-Lithuanian garrison held the Kremlin and Kitay-Gorod. Together with other Russian forces, it defeated a relief army led by Hetman Jan Karol Chodkiewicz, preventing vital supplies and reinforcements from reaching the besieged garrison. The decisive breakthrough came in the autumn. Russian forces stormed Kitay-Gorod, leaving the occupiers confined to the Kremlin. Cut off from relief and weakened by hunger, the remaining garrison surrendered soon afterwards. ☝️Moscow was liberated. This victory paved the way for the restoration of Russian state authority. In 1613, the Zemsky Sobor elected Mikhail Romanov as Tsar, establishing a dynasty that would rule for more than three centuries. 4️⃣1️⃣4️⃣ years on, the triumph of 1612 remains a symbol of national unity, courage and the Russian people’s determination to defend their homeland. 🎥 © Russian Military Historical Society