BY NIKITA BUTURLIN
“In the beginning of March 1896, news was received in Europe that the Italian army was defeated by Abyssinians near the town of Adwa in East Africa. A small town in northern Abyssinia, until that time almost unknown to anyone, attracted the attention of the whole world.
In Russia, then, few people were interested in the fact that somewhere in distant Africa the Italians were waging some kind of war, they were even less interested in the causes of that war or what kind of people the Abyssinians were, and only when these Abyssinians defeated the perfectly organized European army the discussion started in Russia about this fascinating black people, kindred to us in faith, and about its glorious leader – victorious Negus Menelik”.
This is how a contemporary, doctor Mikhail Lebedinsky, who later worked in a first Russian hospital in Addis Ababa, described the impression of the Ethiopian victory at Adwa across Russia. By then the Russian Imperial Government had already taken a firm stance against colonial encroachments of the Western powers on sovereignty and independence of the fellow Orthodox nation.
Russia did not recognize the protectorate over Ethiopia claimed by the Italians in accordance with their version of the infamous 1889 Treaty of Wuchale. Ignoring protests from Rome, in 1895 Emperor Nicholas II received in St. Petersburg a high-level Ethiopian delegation led by Ras Damtew, a cousin of Emperor Menelik II.
Among other gifts, the delegation got 135 boxes of rifles and ammunition, a large batch of cavalry sabers and 400 thousand rubles from Nicholas’ personal funds. On Menelik’s request, the Russian Government decided to send to Ethiopia 30 thousand rifles, 5 million cartridges and 5 thousand sabers as military aid. Unfortunately this cargo was intercepted by the Italians and was not released until the conclusion of peace treaty between Ethiopia and Italy.
The general public in Russia, however, was mostly unaware of these developments. But the illustrious Ethiopian victory over the Italians, who were presumed to possess a highly superior military technology, and the heroism demonstrated by the Ethiopian warriors in defending the independence of their Motherland, deeply impressed everyone.
At the same time it became apparent that the losses of both sides were enormous, and there was a lack of professional medical assistance to numerous wounded.
In only ten days upon the reception of the news on the battle of Adwa, the Russian Red Cross Society managed to secure 130 thousand rubles from regular budget and donations to fund and equip the medical unit to take care of the wounded, which was immediately dispatched to Ethiopia under the leadership of major general Nikolay Shvedov.
It was initially planned that the mission should go directly to Tigray to assist the wounded on both sides, but the Italian Government declined any medical help from Russia to its soldiers. As a result, the mission was denied entry through the port of Massawa and had to take a much longer and treacherous route via Djibouti to Addis Ababa.
Alexander Bulatovich, who later became a prominent explorer of Ethiopia, was in charge of logistics and communications of the mission. As the mission passed Harar, it left some of the staff there to establish a small medical facility at the request of the provincial governor Ras Mekonnen.
After a long and difficult journey, on 24 July 1896 the mission finally reached Addis Ababa, where a field hospital was quickly arranged. It became the first modern medical establishment in Ethiopian history. During their stay in the country, the Russian doctors treated about 14 thousand patients, among them many wounded in the war with Italy, and performed over 450 successful operations. They also trained local doctors and nurses.
Emperor Menelik was initially very cautious about the mission, as he could not believe that a European country would assist him without any selfish motives. His concerns, however, disappeared as soon as the Russian doctors started their work.
The Emperor became a frequent and curious visitor to the hospital, and with his experience with Russian doctors grew the sentiment towards further expanding relations with Russia. When Menelik regretfully bade farewell to the head of the Russian Red Cross mission general Shvedov in October 1896, he wrote in the letter to him:
“For your good deeds, committed for our country, we express our gratitude to the Emperor of Russia, Empress Maria Feodorovna, your Red Cross Society and all its members. My feelings and thoughts about this are endless. The Russian people showed such a love to me that will never be forgotten”.
Mutual intentions to upgrade the relations led to the decision to send an extraordinary Russian diplomatic mission to Ethiopia, which was headed by State Councilor Pyotr Vlasov. In the first days of February 1898, the mission arrived in Addis Ababa, thus establishing diplomatic relations between Ethiopia and Russia.
Upon Menelik’s request, the mission included a medical team, of which some doctors had already worked in Addis Ababa with the Russian Red Cross mission. The first permanent hospital in the Ethiopian capital was then established on the bank of Kebena river, and the road leading to it was since named Russia Street in honour of the Russian doctors.
The hospital provided free of charge service to thousands of Ethiopian patients regardless of their social position. When it was decided to recall the Russian doctors in 1906 due to financial constraints, the hospital was transferred to the newly established Ethiopian Red Cross under the patronage of Empress Taitu, and set the foundation for the existing Menelik II Hospital.
It was highly symbolic that soon after the reestablishment of diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and Ethiopia a new hospital was opened in Addis Ababa under the Russian Red Cross in 1947.
This hospital, which proudly bears the name of Dejazmach Balcha, a famous hero of the Battle of Adwa, continues the tradition of the presence of Russian medical personnel in Ethiopia in the 21st century, as a token of true friendship and sympathy between the two countries.
The Ethiopian Herald March 2/2021
