The Russian Red Cross was founded and developed by Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna, the famous Russian surgeon Nikolai Ivanovich Pirogov, and Sisters of Charity of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross Community, who laid the foundation of public medical care to wounded and sick soldiers during the Crimean War (1853-1856).
In 1917, the Russian Red Cross Society (RRC) celebrated half a century of its existence.
It was the largest public organization in the Russian Empire. There were 136,850 people working under the Red Cross flag, including 5,500 administrative staff. There were 39,000 members of the RRC.
REVOLUTION AND THE PREWAR PERIOD
THE RED CROSS AT THE FRONTLINES OF THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR
After the October coup in 1917, the Main Directorate of the Russian Red Cross Society (RRC) was disbanded, and the Committee for reorganization of the Society was established instead. By the Decree of the Council of People's Commissars of the RSFSR of January 4, 1918, property and capitals of the Red Cross were transferred to the state ownership. But in June 1918 local Red Cross institutions started to be restored, and at the same time a new body called the Provisional Main Directorate of the RRC appeared.
November 20, 1918 is the official date of the beginning of activities of the Red Cross Society of the Soviet period, and on May 18, 1923, chairmen of the Red Cross Societies of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Armenia, Georgia and the Red Crescent Society of Azerbaijan signed a contract to establish the Union of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies of the USSR (URCRC of the USSR).
During the Great Patriotic war, the Society trained 263,669 nurses, 457,286 vigilantes and sanitary instructors, 39,956 nurse assistants, formed 5,247 sanitary brigades and 210,000 sanitary posts for the local anti-aircraft defense.
18 female students of the Red Cross were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and the sanitary instructor Matrena Semenovna Necheporchukova (Nazdracheva) became Full Cavalier of the Order of Glory. Much focus was given to involving the population in donors activity. 700 thousand liters of donor blood were sent to the war front.
The bitter outcome of the war was millions of the dead and missed, thousands of the elderly and children, who lost their relatives and loved ones. To restore separated families, help relatives and friends to find each other - that task was assigned in March 1945 to workers of the Central Displaced Persons Information Center under the Executive Committee of the Union of Red Cross Societies and the Communist Party of the USSR (now the Russian Red Cross Tracing and information Center).
It received more than 3 million applications, documents from Soviet and foreign citizens, National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.
Before the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Soviet Red Cross was the world's largest public organization. It had 1 million members. The XII Extraordinary Congress of the Council of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies of the USSR worked for one day and adopted a document "On dissolution of the Council of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies of the USSR". The Russian Red Cross (RRC) became its legal successor on the territory of the Russian Federation.
HISTORY OF THE FOUNDATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE RUSSIAN RED CROSS
Since 1993, the Russian Red Cross has developed program-targeted activities. Sources of programs financing in recent years are membership fees and targeted donations from Russian citizens, Russian organizations and businesses, financial support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the International Committee of the Red Cross, National Red Cross Societies of the Netherlands, Sweden, Canada, the USA, Great Britain, Germany, Finland, Denmark, Norway and other countries.
The International Red Cross Society was founded in 1864, when representatives of 12 European governments signed the Geneva Convention, an international agreement to improve the plight of wounded and sick in the Army.
For the first time in history, it was made compulsory to give care to all wounded, regardless of which side they belonged to, provide immunity to hospitals, infirmaries, and sanitary personnel.
On May 15, 1867 (May 3, Old Style), Emperor Alexander II approved the Charter of the Care Society for the Wounded and Sick Soldiers, which was renamed the Russian Red Cross Society in 1879. The Emperor, Grand dukes and princesses, high-ranking secular officials and members of the high clergy became honorary members of the Society. The Society was under the patronage of the Empress, enjoyed assistance of all government officials, and received considerable rights.
THE RUSSIAN RED CROSS TODAY
Today, the Russian Red Cross consists of 84 regional branches and 600 local branches. In addition, the Russian Red Cross Tracing and Information Center, the Russian Red Cross Academy, and the Russian Red Cross Hospital in Ethiopia operate as independent institutions within the structure of the Society.
More than 300 people work in the organization and almost 100 thousand people are members and volunteers of the Movement.