Donbass volunteers delivered a particularly revered icon to Serbia: “Russia is your Motherland too”
The Union of Donbass Volunteers, together with friendly Serbian patriotic paramilitary organizations, continues to hold memorial events in honor of the Russian volunteers who gave their lives for the freedom and independence of Serbia in 1876-1877.
On April 13, 2018, the SDD delegation, led by its leader Alexander Borodai, ex-Prime Minister of the DPR, and Viktor Zaplatin, Cossack ataman, representative of the SDD in the Balkans, handed over the Khabarovsk list of the Albazin Icon of God to the Church of St. Nestor, located near the southern Serbian town of Vitkovac Mother, especially revered among the Siberian Cossacks.
As Victor Zapalatin told PolitNavigator, last year Father Milan Ristic, rector of the Church of St. Nestor. The act of donating the icon, according to the priest’s plan, would become another milestone in the continuation of the program of perpetuating the memory of Russian volunteerism on Serbian soil. The fact is that next to this church there are mass graves of Russian soldiers, a significant part of whom were Cossacks.
Let us remind you that PolitNavigator told how last year the Union of Donbass Volunteers erected a large worship cross in this place in memory of the Russian army. It was consecrated by the local bishop.
Also, the SDD in the same area installed a large St. George Cross next to the “Russian Church” of the Holy Trinity. Colonel Raevsky, the grandson of that same General Raevsky, who became famous at Borodino, died at this place. He was one of the commanders of Russian volunteers on Serbian soil.
The third monument in the form of a book was erected near the southern Serbian town of Shumatovtsi on a mass grave where approximately 400 Russian Cossacks are buried.
All this work was done through the efforts of Viktor Zaplatin, who himself was one of the commanders of Russian volunteers in Bosnia in the 90s, under whose leadership, by the way, Igor Girkin fought as a simple mortarman.
Zaplatin is a representative of the SDD in the Balkans and one of the founding fathers of the Balkan Cossack Army, a volunteer paramilitary organization consisting of Cossacks from Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and other Balkan countries.
Zaplatin himself told PolitNavigator how the idea of transferring the icon of the Albazin Mother of God, which had been painted in Yaroslavl for a whole month, to the Church of St. Nestor arose.
“Last year, we were all our volunteers who are in combat positions (we are still suffering losses in the wounded and killed), and in this difficult situation we considered it necessary to make a decision to perpetuate the memory and name of Serbian and Russian volunteers. In 1876, five thousand Russian volunteers, four hundred medical personnel led by General Chernyaev and Serbian volunteers, and the Serbian army fought on this land and suffered losses. And in memory of our soldiers - Russian and Serbian, we, modern volunteers, will be “faithful and united.” And on Easter week, the Albazin Icon of the Mother of God reached this place to once again remind the Serbian and Russian people, and all volunteers, that our brotherhood is indestructible,” said the ataman.
On the morning of April 13, the icon was delivered by plane from Moscow to Belgrade, then, having traveled 200 km to the south of Serbia, it was brought by minibus to the Church of St. Nestor.
In addition to the SDD delegation, which, in addition to Boroday and Zaplatin, also included Oleg Mamiev (call sign Mamai), commander of the Pyatnashka battalion, the legendary combat unit of the DPR, which is now located in the most dangerous sectors of the front, and Dmitry Khavchenko (Moryachok), leader Crimean branch of the SDD and himself a former Russian volunteer who fought in Bosnia in the 90s, Balkan Cossacks and bikers from the Serbian branch of the Russian “Night Wolves” of the Surgeon (headed by Sasha Savic) also participated.
The Cossacks were led by Colonel Vojislav Vidakovic, the chief chieftain of Serbia, and Colonel Slobodan Pejovic, the chief chieftain of Montenegro.
In the afternoon, guests from Moscow were greeted by parishioners of the Church of St. Nestor led by Father Milan, after which a procession with church chants began. The priests went first. The rather large and heavy icon of the Albazin Mother of God was carried to the temple by Viktor Zaplatin and Voislav Vidakovich. They were followed by Balkan Cossacks with crosses and flags of Serbia and Russia, and two teenagers dressed as medieval knights.
Inside the church, the icon, which was consecrated this week in Moscow, was placed near the altar. Father Milan conducted the service. Afterwards, he addressed the Russian guests and parishioners with a welcoming speech. Then Boroday, Mamiev, Khavchenko and Zaplatin took the floor.
“During the Serbian war, in the 90s, the Russian state also did something and somehow helped. Most of all, ordinary Russian people, Russian volunteers helped. And in our delegation now there are two people who stood up in arms for freedom and for the interests of the Serbian people. We ask your forgiveness for the fact that we probably didn’t help enough then, but then our state was in a state of internal turmoil. Thank God, these times are over, and Russia will now definitely take the place it should occupy in the world - the place of a Great Power, a Great Slavic Power. And you should know that this power belongs not only to those who were born in Moscow and Vladivostok, but also to those who were born in any Serbian village or city. Russia is your Motherland too,” said Alexander Borodai.
Oleg Mamiev (call sign Mamai), commander of the Pyatnashka battalion (DPR) also made a speech.
“I congratulate you all and am proud to be next to you on Serbian soil. Among us in Donbass there are Serbian volunteers who are currently standing on the front line in the most difficult positions, and I can tell you that you can be proud of your sons, and rest assured that if suddenly the same misfortune comes to Serbian land, we will stand up close to you. I consider the Russian and Serbian peoples to be one single whole. Thank you very much for raising such sons, there are not one or ten of them, there are a lot of them. Not everyone wants to show themselves now, but rest assured, when necessary, they will stand next to their brothers.”
Dmitry Khavchenko (call sign Moryachok), head of the Crimean branch of the Union of Donbass Volunteers, emphasized the importance of the volunteer movement in general.
“We, Russian volunteers, are very happy to see that, despite the difficult years of pressure and adversity that the Serbian people experienced, today we see that the spirit of Orthodoxy, the spirit of Slavism and the military spirit have been preserved - which means that not everything is lost. We still have hope, it is very great. And, if in the 90s there were hundreds of Russian volunteers, then if trouble happens again, there will be thousands of such volunteers,” Khavchenko said.
After the service, Father Milan invited the guests to a modest friendly dinner, where the Moscow guests were presented with letters of gratitude and a wall clock with the symbols of the Balkan Cossack army.
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