Vladimir Pervunensky. The Last Tsar of Russia. 2006

The Last Tsar of Russia (Vladimir Pervunensky, 2006)

Of course, this is an equestrian portrait of Tsar-Martyr St Nikolai Aleksandrovich the Royal Passionbearer (1868-1918). He is in front of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow. We in America have a special reason to hold Tsar St Nikolai in veneration. Many of the earliest Orthodox churches in this country were built using funds from the tsar’s privy purse. If it were not for this aid, there would be no Orhtodoxy in America today. There are factions on the left in Orthodoxy in this country that minimise Tsar St Nikolai’s role in our history. They should not be listened to and should be given short shrift.

Vladimir Aleksandrov. A Family Portrait. 2005

A Family Portrait (Vladimir Aleksandrov, 2005)

Together Forever!

Together Forever! (Soviet poster, 1940s)

This is an emotional issue for some, and there are UPA/OUN sorts who issue forth interesting views (to use the kindest term) on the topic. Nevertheless, I choose not to engage in a fruitless and pointless dispute. One of my responses to Ukrainian “nationalists” was the creation of the video Kak molody my byli (How Young We Were). Through this video I wished to show the strength and beauty of all the nationalities of Rus. Therefore, I used images of ordinary Russian, Ukrainian, Byelorussian, Lemko, Jewish, Tartar, and Chechen people. Taken together, we are a great civilisation; separately, we are very little indeed.

The histories of the Russian and Ukrainian people are so intertwined that one cannot cut them apart without harming both fatally. Most of those expressing loud and strident Ukrainian “nationalist” views are Galician Uniates, a minority amongst Ukrainians, for they are less than 10 percent of the population. They come from a region that was not part of the old Empire, rather, they were part of the Hapsburg Dual Monarchy, which used the Unia and “Ukrainian nationalism” as weapons against Russia. They are also unrepresentative in faith, as they are Catholic Uniates, not Orthodox as are the vast majority of Ukrainians. They lack the tie of a shared religion which has bound Orthodox Russians and Ukrainians together for centuries.

The Hapsburgs persecuted Orthodox Christians and even ran a concentration camp for Orthodox at Talerhof in Austria during the First World War. This was well documented in the memoirs of Vasili Vavrik, a survivor the death camp, and many others. The Ukrainian department of the CIS Institute and the Conservative Club published The Genocide of Carpatho-Russian Russophiles: A Silenced Tragedy of the Twentieth Century as a joint project. The most prominent martyr of this time was Fr Maksim Sandovych of Lemkovshchyna, who was murdered by the Hapsburg authorities.

In the interwar period, Galicia was part of the Polish state. Uniates received favour from the Polish government, whereas Orthodox were persecuted by Warsaw (in 1939 alone, some 150 Orthodox churches were vandalised in Poland). During World War II, unlike the Poles, Galician Uniates cooperated with the Nazis, and a Waffen-SS division (14. Freiwiligen Grenadier Division der Waffen-SS Galizien (ukrainische nr 1)) was formed from amongst them. It is a sad fact that Bishop Iosif Slipy, a Uniate hero, blessed these Nazi monsters (I do not say that he was a Nazi, merely that he blessed SS troops, which is not a good thing in itself, given the Nazi view that all Slavs were untermenschtum (sub-humanity)). Elements of this division later became part of the 1st Division of the UPA, therefore, Soviet charges that the UPA were Nazi collaborators were proven by this fact.

Hence, the Communist persecution of the Uniates after the Second World War (it should be noted that the Orthodox Church did NOT advocate such). They were seen, perhaps not surprisingly, given the attitudes of their leaders, as Nazis. On the other hand, the virulent Communist persecution of Orthodox was simply on the grounds of hatred of Christ.

Therefore, if you hear nationalistic rumblings from Uniate sources, it is coming from those who traditionally were not part of the Russian state. East-bank Ukrainians consider themselves “Russian Orthodox”, and are found mainly in our parishes, for that is where they feel at home. Do NOT hate “Ukrainian nationalists” or return to them what they deal to you. Most Uniates are decent folk who have no control over what comes from Vatican-financed sources, that is, their leadership. They are innocent, and should be treated as such. After all, they are bone of our bone, blood of our blood, flesh of our flesh, and soul of our soul. They are not only our brothers and sisters, they are an indispensable and beautiful part of the people of our Great Rus. May God shower His blessings on them abundantly. We keep a place at table for our separated and prodigal brothers, and we await their return fervently.

May the family circle of Rus be unbroken yet again!

Holy New Hieromartyr Maksim Sandovych of Lemkovshchyna, murdered under the Hapsburg Yoke, pray for us sinners!

 

Let’s Take Care of the Children Hurt by the Fascist Barbarians!

Let’s Take Care of the Children Hurt by the Fascist Barbarbians! (Soviet poster, period of the Second Great Patriotic War)

On the one hand, we should not restrict our fighting men with senseless restrictions dreamed up by politicians safe in their offices. That is very true. On the other, war is a very serious enterprise not to be embarked upon lightly. This is not only because many in the military die on the field of battle, but, many innocents die and suffer as well.

Today, many Americans have forgotten the brutality and bestiality of the Nazis, especially in their occupation of Russia. Slavs were untermenschtum (“sub-humanity”), fit only to be exploited for the benefit of their German masters. Oddly enough, most of the Russian and Ukrainian peasants welcomed the Wehrmacht, they saw them as freeing them from the yoke of the commissars. Yes, posters stating, “Hitler the Liberator” appeared in many towns and villages. The people truly felt that way. Yet, the Germans threw all that good-will away. Had they aided the anti-communist Russians, I can assure you that history would have been different. Racism of the most virulent sort coloured the reactions of the Germans. Racism is a word overused in PC circles today, so, its impact has been muted by misuse. The Germans actually felt the Russians to be inferior simply on racial grounds, and they acted accordingly.

Erich Koch, the Reichsleiter of the Ukraine put it bluntly. “It does not matter if 10,000 Ukrainian women die digging an anti-tank ditch for Germany, as long as the ditch is dug”. That was actually one of the milder statements of this monster. Men such as this did not scruple at such things as age, sex, or disability. People were press-ganged into slave labour in Germany, crops were confiscated without thought for the survival of the peasants, and the Nazis killed all those who opposed them.

Today, there are people in Russia in their late 60s and early 70s who were children during the Second Great Patriotic War. Many faced short rations, deprivation, and still others lost a parent (or both!). The worst-off were those who had been brutalised by the German occupiers. Often, such children also were alone in the world, their parents being dead or lost in slave labour camps. That is the subject of this poster. It is not propagandistic exaggeration. Many children needed help, both physical and moral, to recover form the ravages of the war. They are the grandparents of today, and they are passing their precious memories to their grandchildren. You see, they WERE helped, they were aided to come back to a normal life, and no hater of the Soviet system can say otherwise. People opened their hearts, and that is how the healing took place.

That is why we should never go to war lightly. The children are hurt. Anyone who cannot understand that is an amoral monster. Also, those who oppose all war indiscriminately are unthinking bloody fools (knee-jerk pacifism is not part of the Orthodox faith, despite the bloviating of the “Orthodox Peace Fellowship”). Remember the child in the poster when such is discussed. It is deeper than you think…

Reflect on what General Sherman said, “War is hell, unrefined”. If you wish a definition of that, look at this poster.

 

I Swear to Defeat the Enemy!

I Swear to Defeat the Enemy! (Soviet poster, period of the Second Great Patriotic War (World War II))

This poster illustrates not only the determination and resolve of the fighters of the Second Great Patriotic War, it points to the courage and perseverance of all soldiers at all times. Our soldiers today have the same fighting spirit; they are in no way inferior to their fathers. Sadly, our forces in Iraq and Afghanistan have had their hands tied by nonsensical “rules of engagement” laid down by lawyers and politicians far from the zone of combat. To give a sorry example, a unit of SEALs was in Afghanistan on a covert mission deep in enemy territory. Some civilians chanced upon their camp. The usual military practise is harsh, but, unfortunately, necessary (it is one of the reasons why one does not go to war lightly). If such civilians are found, they must be killed without mercy. Otherwise, the mission is blown, and the risk of the unit being destroyed becomes exponentially higher. That is precisely what happened. The civilians were allowed to live, they went and informed the Islamocist bandits of the position of the SEALs, and most of our brave men died for no good reason. That is why the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan have turned into fiascos. Our men are forced to act as though they were in an American suburban neighbourhood, when they are actually deep in “Indian country” (to use the current military slang). I weep for our men, and especially for the unnecessary deaths that have resulted from such silly and misguided rules. My heart bleeds for all the families that have lost loved ones due to this insanity (for I must call it what it is). Vechnaya Pamyat for all those fallen in battle, but, I say so especially for those who died so that stateside politicians could polish their “reputations”. THAT is evil.

Memorial to Major General Lev Mikhailovich Dovator (1903-41) in his home village of Khotino in Byelorussia

Furthermore, I believe that those who lead our forces on the operational and tactical level on the battlefield are good and worthy men worthy of their fathers. I would recommend to all who are leaders (and not “managers”) to emulate the courage of General Dovator, one of the heroes of the Second Great Patriotic War. He did not sit in a rear-area bunker. He did not send others to do things that he refused to face himself. Rather, he led from the front. In August and September 1941, he led daring raids into the Fascist rear areas with his cavalry corps. He led from the saddle, he always took the same risks as his men, and he was loved and respected as a result. During the fighting around Moscow in December 1941, he was killed whilst he was on a personal reconnaissance of the front lines. I believe that we have leaders with the courage and charisma of General Dovator, but, they are hampered by the squeamishness of politicians and lawyers. Let the military run wars, for they are trained to do so. In any case, those not being shot at have no right to speak!

Parenthetically, General Dovator was of Jewish nationality. This should put paid to the ludicrous lie that Jews are by nature cowards. His troops were, in the main, Cossacks, and they would follow him to hell and back. Anti-Semitism in Russia was never as extensive as some in the West have proclaimed, it was strongest in the Western regions, in the lands of the Polish Partition. Indeed, the strongest anti-Semitism was found outside the borders of the old Empire in Galicia, a region that was notorious for its ignorance and backwardness. In any case, in future, you are going to see works painted by artists of Jewish nationality (Isaak Levitan, the great nature painter, and Leonid Pasternak, one of the early impressionists (he was the father of Boris Pasternak, author of Doctor Zhivago)). They are a valuable part of the Russian artistic heritage.

Many nationalities made up the Empire, the Soviet Union, and the present Russian Federation. They all contributed to the legacy of Russia, and all bear equal honour. I might add that Alexander Schmemann and John Meyendorff were of Russo-German background, as is His Holiness Patriarch Aleksei (his family name is Rediger). This mixture of cultures led to a creative ferment that led to one of the great cultures of the world. Be wary of anyone who promotes one nationality above another, for the example of Russia shows that the opposite brings forth great fruit.

Do Not Murder!

This is a post-Soviet Russian poster dating from the 1990s.

This poster makes a crucial distinction. The Decalogue does not say, “Thou shalt not kill”. Rather, it commands us, “Thou shalt not murder”. Unfortunately, this distinction is lost in most English translations. Therefore, the current noise in some circles that the Church condemns warfare per se is not founded in fact. If we look at the actual practise of the Church as compared to recent pronouncements by such groups as the “Orthodox Peace Fellowship”, we see that far from being pacifistic, the Church has blessed Christian warriors many times during its history.

The forces of the Christian Roman (mistakenly called Byzantine in most sources) Empire bore the cross upon their shields, and the host was blessed many times not only by priests and bishops, but, also by patriarchs. Throughout their history, the forces of both Christian Rome and Russia carried the icon of Christ upon their banners into battle, and such usage was not considered sacrilegious at the time, nor is it a profanation of the sacred today. Indeed, there were many times when the faith was defended by the sword. Do remember the example of the boyar Dmitri Pozharsky and the blacksmith Kuzma Minin in leading the Orthodox host in defence of faith and motherland in the early seventeenth century. If they had been pacifistic, Russia would be a Catholic country today. Indeed, the monks of the St Sergius-Trinity Lavra actively helped defend their monastery against the Poles, and none of them were excommunicated for doing so.

Earlier, in the fourteenth century, we have the example of the heroic schemamonks Peresvet and Oslyabya at the Battle of Kulikovo against the Golden Horde. I shall not comment on them at present, for there are stirring artworks featuring them, and that would be the proper time to cover them in depth. Before departing for the field of battle, Grand Prince St Dmitri Donskoi went to receive the blessing of St Sergius of Radonezh, the greatest elder of the time. He was not refused. There are icons depicting this, and St Dmitri is shown in full armour, bearing his weapons. Of course, there is also the fact that the Church glorified St Dmitri as being amongst the choir of saints.

I have seen photographs of Patriarch Sergei Stagorodsky blessing the troops of the Dmitri Donskoi Tank Brigade. There are also photos of religious processions at the front, priests receiving decorations for bravery in battle with the partisans, and of Patriarch Sergei calling on the people to resist the invader. The Church was NOT pacifistic. If Russians had been pacifistic, the Nazis would be ruling Russia as a colony today.

In short, I would recommend that people attend to the views of Fr Alexander Webster (a chaplain in the forces) rather than the arguments of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship. Fr Alexander’s views reflect the actual practise of the Church better than those of the so-called “Peace Fellowship”.

A note to Mary-Leah: Many blessings on your Matthew. May God watch over him and his comrades as they do their duty. The profession of arms is ancient and honourable, whereas the posturing of activists is not.