Solidier priests, the 100th anniversary of the Red Army

The army is the most important element of continuity with the once was Soviet regime. Together with the KGB and the Orthodox Church, they are the "spearhead" of Russian patriotism. Orthodox priests are trained in Omsk to drive amphibious tanks and use military communications systems.

Moscow (AsiaNews) – Following last year’s centenary celebrations of the October Revolution other commemorations are taking place related to the dramatic events of the birth of Soviet Russia. In February 1918, after the liquidation of the Constituent Assembly by Lenin, the Civil War began, which history recorded as a clash between "whites" and "reds". Various counter-revolutionary militias were established, beginning with those organized by General Lavr Kornilov, who had tried to stop the advent of the Bolsheviks as early as August 1917. The communists' response was the establishment of the Red Army on 23 February 1917 , under the leadership of the real ‘field’ leader of revolutionary movements, Lev Trotsky.

The army is today the most important element of continuity with the defunct Soviet regime, along with the "spearhead" of the KGB from which President Putin himself comes, and the Orthodox Church. As the Russian military historian and theoretician, Professor Sergej Antjushin states through the ages, the basic sentiments of Russian patriotism are preserved in the armed forces: the intransigence of principles, the capacity for sacrifice and the sense of ultimate justice, principles that make the Russians practically invincible. Together with the glorious naval fleet, founded in the early eighteenth century by Peter the Great, the Red Army is the pride of the Russians, the instrument to spread justice and peace in the world against every enemy of true justice and "true faith", be that communism or orthodox Christianity.

Nothing more than "military security" can unite the Russians in one granite body. It is precisely this ideal that has guaranteed President Putin's popularity for almost 20 years, and probably for a third decade after the March 18th elections. In the Russian conscience there is no real "division of power" between politics and the army, which the Church also joins. The Russian revolution took place precisely to weld relations between the representatives of the "Soviets", the councils of the workers, and the soldiers: when the Petrograd Soviet issued Decree No. 1, March 14, 1917, all the officers were subjected to the power of the people, and the new Communist Army was the real key to the success of Lenin and his companions.

The legendary commanders of the great Russian victories, like Prince Alexander Nevsky who defeated Swedes and Teutons; Count Aleksandr Suvorov, the last "generalissimo" before Stalin (he was also "Prince of Italy") with his victories over the Turks and the Poles; General Michail Kutuzov who resisted and expelled Napoleon from the country; and the greatest Soviet hero, Marshal Georgij Žukov who saved the world from Hitler, have always been the object of devotion on the part of the people. It is not by chance that the Russian Orthodox Church counts among the ranks of its different saints leaders, such as Nevsky and Dmitry Donskoj, the Tartar winner accompanied by the warrior monks sent by St. Sergiy of Radonezh.

It is not strange, therefore, that even today the Russian Church shows great attention and accord towards with the armed forces. One of the first agreements restored by the Moscow Patriarchate with the state authorities in the 1990s was the military chaplains for the army, and since then the Church's presence among the soldiers has become increasingly widespread. This year, just in coincidence with the centenary of the Red Army, the courses of education and military service dedicated to priests have been opened up, no longer just spiritual assistants therefore, but real "comrades in arms" in the war of faith , like the monks of Dmitry.

At the Siberian base of Omsk, from the beginning of February, the selection and training of 30 Orthodox priests to be joined to the troops of the Russian Army and Air Force began. They will become field helpers of command officers, as well as overseeing the military's moral and religious education activities. The soldier-priests will be taught to drive the latest generation BMD-4M transport amphibious tanks, as well as the rules for the use of military means of communication. From the Orthodox parish of Omsk, some representatives commented that "often the priests present in war operations must help the wounded soldiers, even transporting them from the camp to safe places, and must be prepared for this type of intervention". The Omsk base is well-known in Russia for its training in the use of mobile means of war, especially cannons and rockets for missiles, which hopefully the Rambo priests will be spared.