Further to our prolonged debate about whether the Russians had any Lewises, this info has now appeared on Wikipedia:
The Russian Empire purchased 10,000 Lewis Guns in 1917 from the British Government, and ordered another 10,000 Lewis Guns from Savage Arms in the US. The US Government was unwilling to supply the Tsarist Russian Government with the guns and there is some doubt as to whether they were actually delivered, although records indicate that 5,982 Savage Lewis Guns were delivered to Russia by March 31st, 1917. The Lewis Guns supplied by Britain were dispatched to Russia in May 1917, but there is some confusion as to whether these were the Savage-made Lewis Guns being trans-shipped through the UK, or a separate batch of UK produced Lewis Guns.
The source quoted is Skennerton, Ian (2001). Small Arms Identification Series No. 14.
The Tsar abdicated in March 1917 and the fighting stopped in December after the Russian offensive failed, so if the guns did arrive they could have been in use for only a short period.
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