Report From Dr. Nicholas E. Alyoshin-- ARM Prison Chaplain in Russia

 
August, 2005
  1. USA visit. July 22 thru Aug 2.  I visited USA (ARM, GNPI, CIY, POEM, "WE-GO", Christian Churches in Miami; Joplin, Carthage, Carl Junction; "Christian Home" in Joplin; many private meetings and small groups.) I received the Church flags, sets for communication. I also received blessing to re-establish formally the First Christian Church (Krasnodar, Russia – Pontus, Acts 2:9) on the basis of people immersed through DOM ARM.
  2. Religious persecution. Since 04/VII – 2005 I have been included into the commission of Russia Ministry of Education to license the Evangelical University by "Christian and Missionary Alliance", Colorado). The authorities try to close it. The university asked me to be the commission member as ARM chaplain, known to defend the victims of religious persecution, and as the carrier of Russian state titles of Doctors, Professor, etc. It is very complicated task to defend the university, because of absolutely stupid position of its leaders: they tried to reject any connection with USA, and thus cannot explain how they appeared and exist.
  3. Prisons. In July I had 4 visits to Krasnodar prisons. On 04.07.05 in Omsk prison camp (East Siberia) 27 convicts tried to cut their blood vessels in protest against torments.
  4. Victims of repressions. In July the process over the murderer of Alexander Tedorov (killed on 03.01.05) in Krymsk (town – 120 km SW from Krasnodar) was over. The murderer received 4 years of middle regime prison camp (the Turks, the nephew of whose elder was murdered man, are sure, he was killed by police). I gave the spiritual support to the Meskhetian Turks. On 06-08.07.05 I spoke at the conference "Poles in Russia" (in Krasnodar) about the deportation of Poles in USSR & Russia..
  5. Student Wing. My daughter Nike, being the leader of the student Wing of the DOM ARM, organized a praying meeting in our house for American students in 19.07.05. The Student Wing organized also the visit of Russian and American students to Krasnodar city orphangeon 14.07.05.
  6. Information activity. In July I had phone talks with Uzbekistan, Germany, Ukrain. The minister of one of the Evangelical churches of St.-Petersburg visited me to discuss his cooperation with ARM. On 02. and 03.07.05 Russian Service of "Radio Liberty/Free Europe" twice translated the interview with me (about ARM work with Turks-Meskhetians). The TV channel "Vesti-Kuban" (Krasnodar branch of Russia State TV) showed a video report about our student wing activity.

In Jesus our hope! Sincerely,  ARM Chaplain, Prof.., etc. Nicholas E. Alyoshin.

 
July, 2005
 
Glory to Christ, my beloved brother! This is my brief report for June 2005.
  1. PRISONS. On 26.06.05 eight activists of our chaplaincy took part in the picket in the centre of Krasnodar (150 m from Governor residence). The picket was against the torments and tortures in the prisons and police, etc. Except us there were the parents of the convicts and former convicts (about 30 persons). The picket went on since 11 a.m. till 15 p.m., and about 500 visitors came to us, watched the photos of the tortured and murdered by police people, took our materials, and prayed with us.

    On the same day the hugest prison protest action (also against tortures) in modern Russia history took place in the prison camp in Lgov town of Kursk area (1000 km North from Krasnodar): 437 convicts – as the sign of a protest – cut their blood vessels. The scandal came up to the upper levels of Russian Government. Many public and religious organizations demanded Government to stop the torments in prisons.

    In June:  I visited the restricted area of the Krasnodar Territory Narcological hospital and preached to the drug addicts;  I made two official expertises for the public processes, connected with the protests against illegal arreats and torments

    A.Novosyolov, immersed in DOM ARM in May 2004, won in June the court process against the Russian state in the European Court for Human Rights (he was tortured in prison and the Strasbourg court ruled to pay him the money compensation). This event was widely discussed in Russian mass media. E.g., the Krasnodar city mayor newspaper "Krasnodarskie Izvestia" wrote about it, noting, that Novosyolov was baptized by me in our chaplaincy.

  2. TURKS. June was the Turkish month, indeed. The court process over the murderer of A.Tedorov (the nephew of Sarvar Tedorov, who is the Turkish elder) has begun in the district center of Krymsk. But much more important was the jury court process to begin in Krasnodar Territorial court on 14.06.05 over the murderer of two Turkish girls (26 and 19 years, killed on 26.12.2004) cossack ataman Drozdov. The process was over on 23.06.05. I took part in all the sessions of that process. During it I spread 17 Bibles (most part – in Turkish; the most popular are the full Bibles in Turkish in Latin script – "Kutsal Kitap", - printed in Stambul; inform, please, about this the brethren of "Turkish World Outreach". The main witnesses of the bloody murder were two little girls: Sheirat (Shura) of 9 years old and Albina (8 years) – the nieces of the victims. It was necessary to interrogate them officially in the huge hall of court – in front of the jury, of the guests and journalists, of the judge in the mantle, of the murderer in the cage, of the guards with sub-machine-guns and the service dog. And they were the little girls! The law demands the necessity to interrogate the under-age witnesses only in the presence of the pedagogically educated person (the teacher, etc., but with the University diploma in pedagogic). And all the teachers refused to take part in the process against the orthodox Cossacks. Thus, the testimony of the main witnesses could have become invalid. So, the Turks asked me to be the necessary interrogation participant with the pedagogical diploma (in my first University degree I am Master of Sciences in Biology, Chemistry and Pedagogics; thus, I have the right to teach in Russia state schools, Universities, etc.). Sure, I gave my agreement; I was officially included into the process. And the interrogation of the little girls took place, and their testimony was the main basis for an accusation of the murderer. To have a good contact with the girls, and to calm them I presented to both of them the New Testaments in Turkish-Mesketian dialect ( in Cyrillic script, printed in London, and sent to me by Joe Garman).
  3. APOSTOLIC CHRISTIANITY. Brother Max Goins asked me to examine the possibility of the creation of video-film about the traces of the Apostolic Christianity in Krasnodar Territory (1, 2, 3 centuries A.D.). I visited some archaeological spots in our territory: indeed, we have here the artifacts of that period with Christian symbols; the video-film, indeed, can be produced. E.g., on 13.06.05 we visited the excavation of the antique town of Gorgippia (modern Anapa) and watched the Christian traces. Anapa is 150 km to South – West from Krasnodar, in the Black Sea coast. The car and driving was donated by our chaplaincy activist N.G. Plutenko.
In Jesus our hope! Sincerely,  ARM Chaplain, Prof.., etc. Nicholas E. Alyoshin.
 
June, 2005
IMMERSIONS. On 02.05.05. I immersed in the village Pashkovskaya (15 km to East from Krasnodar) two persons: brother Nesterov Dmitriy Vladimirovich and sister Bochkova Tatyana Anatolyevna. On the Pentecost day - on 15.05.2005 - I immersed Naydyonova Janna Grygorievna. She is a medical doctor from Novorossiysk - the port on the Black Sea coast; she came to Krasnodar to DOM ARM specially to be immersed.
 PRISONS. ON 16, 18, 25.05.05 we visited different prisons in Krasnodar to have there praying meetings with the arrested persons, convicts and their relatives. On 25.05.2005 I also presented --in the Krasnodar Territorial court --my opinion as the independent expert to defend the Evangelical Christians. On 23.05.2005 we brought to the convicts a donation of shoes, which were collected in Moscow by my sister Nathaly and her son Alexander. 
 
On 04.05.05 the member of our chaplaincy - V. Markevich (immersed by us in May 2004) - was entrusted by Lev Ponomaryov (the leader of the All-Russia Public Movement "For Human Rights" in Moscow) to be this movement's Krasnodar Territorial expert. On 24.05.05 Ponomaryov published a big article with his movement's official opinion that all the tragic events in prisons in 2004-2005 (uprisings, murders, suicides, etc.) were the result of prison authorities isolating the leaders of human rights movement among the convicts into more tough and severe conditions.  On 04.05.05 the Norway businessman working in Krasnodar  -Bjornerud- who is in contact with our chaplaincy- organized the charity dinner for the orphanage for children-invalids. Our members took part there.
 
STUDENT WING. On 11.05.05 our Student Wing organized my meeting with the students and teachers of the Kuban State University (Krasnodar) in one of the lecture rooms in the main building. About 50 people were present.  In Jesus our hope!  DOM ARM chaplain, Prof.., etc. Nicholas E. Alyoshin.  
 

April, 2005

EDITOR'S NOTE:  In the space of just four days, we received FIVE monthly reports from our brother in Russia.  I will here attempt to summarize ten pages of great news.  If you want the "whole of the story" let me know and I'll send the full reports via email. 

OCT: I was invited to speak by Rezo Kaziya - the Abkhazian Government Minister for Religion. He is ready to support our activity: Abkhazia is opened for ARM! We also visited some other religious organizations. We received the information, that President Ardzinba is a Turk from mother side, and that 150,000 of Abkhazian refugees from tsar Caucasian war (in 19 century) - named makhajirs - live now in Turkey. So, we can work also with Turkish Republic through Abkhazia, and vice versa. A new huge field for ARM!

NOV:  On Nov. 30, 2004 I immersed  Roman Anatolievich Gaberkorn (Yunoshev), a young man (16 years), from village Agoi of Tuapse region (Black Sea Coast, 150 km from Krasnodar).  He came to me with his parents specifically to be immersed. The immersed young man is being persecuted now on the basis of a false accusation. He is being repressed in order to have vengeance on his mother, who was some time ago the deputy chief of the administration of Tuapse port and region, then she was dismissed on political basis. Now all the family has understood that Christ is the only Saviour. In November I had 9 services and praying meetings in Krasnodar prisons and in the families of convicted and arrested persons.

DEC:  The main event in our prison work was our big Christmas activity.  We prepared and spread 100 parcels with Bibles, Christmas cards, food and clothes in the tuberculosis department of the prison hospital in Tlustenkhabl (Adygeia, this hospital is the only one for this small republic and for all Krasnodar Territory) and the tuberculosis hospitals for adults and for children in Krasnodar.

JAN: On Jan. 16, 2005, the brethren from Elizavetinskaya village managed to receive the permission for our group (myself and 4 other brethren) of DOM ARM to visit the Elizavetinskaya prison camp and to preach in front of 200 prisoners. We spread also some dozens of Bibles there. On the 18th, the representatives of 5 Evangelical denominations (9 pastors and 3 ministers to work with the prison correspondence, etc.) invited me to make a report on the methodology of the work with prisoners. It was a special seminar in Krasnodar with me, as an invited speaker. The ARM experience is becoming more and more popular.

FEB: One of our chaplaincy activists - Vladimir Ivanenko - is the former prisoner (convicted four times); now he is very active is preaching Christ to prisons and in correspondence with them. He had a special project, correspondence with three brethren, having the life sentences and being in the special prison on the island "Ognenniy" ("Fiery" in English) of Vologda area (3000 km North from Krasnodar). Those 3 brothers wrote to bro Ivanenko, they wanted us to come to them and to immerse them. It was impossible at once to collect enough money to visit them, but V. Ivanenko said to me, he had a friend in Germany. I blessed him to write down to Germany, and that German man wrote to some brethren in Vologda, whom he supported, to go to the prisoners - correspondents of Ivanenko. The brethren visited that special prison, were let in and immersed three prisoners. It took place in the end of 2004. They sent the documents and photos to Germany, and from Germany they were sent to Krasnodar. When received them, as confirmation, I have the joy to share this good news with you.

December 2004.

Editor's note:  This is a summary of our ministry in Russia rather than a monthly update.

PERSONNEL: Nicholas Eugene Alyoshin is the director and chaplain of ARM’s Mission Branch in Russia (DOM ARM). His name in Russian is Nikolay Evgenievich Alyoshin -- the surname can be translated also as ALESHIN or ALECHINE. He was born on 9/23/54 and is a professor of plant breeding, holding three degrees: Dr.Sc, Ph.D., Dr.Sc.h.c. He was also the executive director of All-Russia Rice Research Institute from 1991-1998. Both of his grandfathers were murdered in Stalin's camps; one led a large Christian community in Caucasus Mountains. The other was murdered for political reasons. N. E. Alyoshin was the subject of repressions himself; he was under arrest from 8/04/99 till 9/09/99. His wife, Nina Vladimirovna Alyoshina has a Ph.D. in technical biochemistry; she was born on 8/20/62 and is an active co-worker. Their son, Vladimir Nikolaevich Alyoshin, was born 12/10/83 and is now a student at Kuban State Technological University (chemical technology of food processing) working with the DOM ARM student wing. His sister, Nike (Nika) Nikolaevna Alyoshina was born on 7/1/85 and is also a student at Kuban State University in Krasnodar, studying English and German philosophy and literature. She leads the student wing of DOM ARM.

DOM ARM’s Moscow activity is led by God’s servant, Nathaly E. Koff, sister of Nicholas. She has Master of Science in chemical technology and an MBA. Her son, Alexander Koff is a 17-year-old student who works in Moscow for DOM ARM student wing. All named six persons speak English fluently.

LOCATION: DOM ARM works in Krasnodar and its territory and Adigeiya Republic. There are about 40 large penitentiary institutions, prisons, prison camps, etc. DOM ARM has its own constant point in Moscow to work with some Moscow prisons and some prison orphanages in the Moscow area. DOM ARM conducts correspondence with prisons and religious groups in Northern European Russia as well as in the Urals, the Orenburg area (on the border with Kazakhstan), in Siberia, and in Abkhasia -- part of Georgia now occupied by Russian troops.

PROGRAMS: We minister spiritually to all the prisoners we are able to contact. We are especially connected with about 200 people in Russian prisons for political or religious reasons. The goal of our work in prisons is to convert the satanic-flesh network in the prisons into the global network of servants of Jesus Christ! We also work with various victims of Stalin's deportations, including the Turk-Meskhetians or Ahishka-Turks. We call this program "Mesikhchiler" meaning "Christian" in Turkish.

Similarly, we work with Russian Germans who also are victims of deportation. We call this program "KIRCHE" (Church) because our goal is to return the old Evangelical German Church in Krasnodar to the believers. This 110-year-old congregation was confiscated by the Bolsheviks in 1917 and not yet returned. We also seek to help victims of various violations of religious freedoms to name, verify, and certify the facts of such violations, persecutions, and repressions.

We have a research program to investigate the history, theology, significance, and inheritance of the true and ancient church, the predecessor of the modern New Testament church. DOM ARM works also with the natural scientists -- the "Biblical Garden" program -- using the high scientific potential of our chaplaincy ministers and activists. We also have a campus ministry, working with the students of two state universities in Krasnodar and Moscow.

PROGRESS: DOM ARM has immersed 176 people to date, most of whom are Russians. There are also Turks, Adigeiyans, Chechens, Abkhaz, Jews, Germans, Ossetians, etc. facilitating the different movements to stand for religious freedoms and human rights.

 
September 2004.

Glory to Christ, my beloved brothers! 

 
Prisons: this month I had 4 visits to different prisons in Krasnodar and one trip to women prison camp in Dvubratskaya village (75 km from Krasnodar). We received there the information (from Yana Gaskevich – the daughter of one of the leaders of territorial branch of "Memorial"; she is a convict there), that women in the camp were made the slave laborers. They are made work for 6 days every week, for 15 hours per day (they are producing military uniform and wooden baskets). Imagine: for this work they receive 100 Russian roubles per month, i.e. 3.3 USD! Well, for every 4 made baskets the worker receives 1 Russian kopeika, i.e. 0.01 RUR, 0.00033 USD. The slavery is monstrous in Russian prisons and only Christ can heal prisoners!
 
Immersions: on 13.09.04 we immersed in Kuban river waters in Krasnodar Yaroslav Monzhosov. He heard my homily on 12.09.04 and said to me that he was a merchant ship engineer, and that Christ called him to preach to sailors during the voyages all over the world. Thus, Christ has produced through DOM ARM the ailing missionary!
 
Victims and refuges: the rescue team of which I am a chaplain, took part in the search operation in Beslan (North Ossetia, 700 km from Krasnodar), after the federal troops had stormed the school occupied by Islamists. Before the rescue team expedition there I led the praying meeting with the team members. The same was done after their return to Krasnodar. I also met the refuges from Beslan and prayed with them. All the terrible terroristic event had a deep religious background: on 30 and 31.08.2004 Russian official mass media (TV, radio, newspapers) declared, that the era of peace and good life had come to Russia – because "all miracle-doing icons of god-mother had come back to the country". They declared that the "cross of god-mother was over Russia": the "Iver god-mother" icon, as if, guards now Moscow, "the Smolensk one" – the West of Russia, "the Tikhvin one" (sent from USA) – the North; "the Kazan one" (from Pope) – the East; "the Vladimir one" – the South. And on the next day after this broadcast icon worshipping declaration the terrorist attacked the Beslan school (on 01.09.04)!
 
Turks: on 28.09.04 I met Marriyet Koch-Turk and gave her an interview about our work with Ahishka-Turks. Yuri Suleimanov asked me to give him contacts with Ahishka-Turks in Kubanskaya village os Apsheronsk district (200 km from Krasnodar). He began to prepare our mutual expedition there. This very important news: the local newspaper "Arguments and Facts – South" published and article that the houses of Ahiska-Turks, evacuated to US, were used again to settle the Meskhetian-Turks from the other regions of Russia and even of Uzbekistan. Thus, the ethnic pressure on Georgia continues, and the US program is being devalued! It means the necessity to enforce our work in Krasnodar Territory. It also means that this information must be sent to US State Department, US Commission on Religious Freedoms, etc.
 
Public activity: not including above mentioned events, I gave in September the interviews to 2 newspapers; had preached 4 times in different communities and took part in 3 seminars in Krasnodar.
 
Repressions: my daughter (and DOM ARM student wing leader) Nike tried to organized the visit of 6 Americans students of Kuban State University (Krasnodar), who represents here the Caucasian cross-cultural foundation, to the orphanage for children (from zero up to 3 years old), born in prisons. I asked people of "Memorial" tried to help her. The authorities of the orphanage were agreed, but the visit was prohibited on 23.09.04 personally by general Yarov – the chief of the Krasnodar Territory prison system. In September, there were the attempts in Krasnodar to use the declaration of orthodox anathema against the political opponents. On 11.09.04 the American missionaries (Mormonic) were arrested in Krasnodar (for a night). Our DOM ARM activist E. Novozhilov discovered the documents that the special correspondent of "Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe" in Krasnodar – S.Perov – Petrov – was the commander of swastika-worshipping militants. Novozhilov sent these documents to Prague and Moscow offices of that radio.

In September I received very warm letter of support from Joe Garman, Rod Farthing, Ziden Nutt, T.W.Hunt, G.Leiser.

August, 2004

This month I had 14 services and prayer meetings in Krasnodar and Krasnodar Territory prisons and camps. On 22.08.04 Bro Ivan Kuzhelev was liberated in Armavir camp (he was previously immersed by me in Elizavetinskaya camp; we took part in his liberation and managed to diminish his sentence for 2 years).

In August the Moscow ARM division (my sister N. Koff) managed to collect and to send to Krasnodar some amount of clothes and shoes for prisoners. 

On 27.08.04 I immersed publicly in Kuban river waters in Krasnodar center V. Palkin – the centurion of the Kuban Cossack Army. Brother K. Meshchishin (and his prayer group member V. Borodavkin) in the days previous to Meshchishin liberation from Primorsko-Akhtarsk prison camp, immersed five prisoners. So, I hope the immersions connected with ARM will go on in that camp. In August I received news that the orthodox priest of Plastunovskaya village had built in his cathedral a baptistry for full immersion as the result of ARM preaching!

Early in August I visited the Turkish Republick to discuss the situation around the Krasnodar Turks with the people of "Hyurriyet" newspaper.  On 09.08.04 in ancient Perga we discovered the stones with the inscriptions which confirm the accuracy of the text of the "Acts of the Apostles."  Copies of the photo were sent to Joe Garman, Rod Farthing, and Ziden Nutt.  (To receive a jpeg of the photo, request by replying.) 

In Jesus our hope!  Sincerely,  Prof. Nicholas E.Alyoshin, DOM ARM chaplain, etc.

Glory to Christ, my beloved brother!

This is my brief report for February 2004.

  1. In February we, by the Grace of Christ, immersed 6 souls: Vladimir Onufriev, his wife Tatyana, and his mother – also Tatiyana (the fishermen family from Temryuk – the port on Azov Sea, on 02.02.04, they came specially to Krasnodar, having heard about DOM ARM and our activity); Galina Galitsa (visiteress of our seminar on 06.02.04); Alexander Svechnikov (also the visitor of our seminar – on 06.02.04); Tatiana Priyomysheva – the Ukrain woman, without Russian citizenship, she lives in distant village Gazyr of Vyselky region of Krasnodar Territory; she is 78, she learnt about DOM ARM from her brother who had met me; she – by mail correspondence – made us come and immerse her on 17.02.04. She and her brother became the DOM ARM point in that village.
  2. I received the letter from one brother, who is now in the prison camp near Elizavetinskaya (we have the mutual photo with Joe Garman in front of that camp gate) that he wanted to be immersed. Now I’m working to receive the official permission to enter that strict regime prison camp.
  3. In February had 10 public speeches and homilies about immersion and ARM activity in different religious communities, conferences and seminars.
  4. On 19.02.04 I gave an interview about my activity and about ARM to the "Moscow Times" (the newspaper for English-speaking foreigners in Moscow, independent from Russia authorities).
  5. The All-European-Russia Lutheranic Synod (Kaliningrad, 03-05.02.04) officially asked me to help them to make the publicly known the 110-years jubilee of the Lutheranic Kirche in Krasnodar (which is not yet returned to believers). I managed to organize the TV information about this. The Lutherans also want me to be involved into the talks with the authorities to permit the creation of the united military German burial in Krasnodar Territory for all North Caucasus. It means that about 100,000 soldiers bodies can be exhumed and transferred to that united burial. The possibility exists for me to follow the process as the burial chaplain...
  6. After the visit of Joe Garman to Turk-Meskhetians villages (Ahishka-Turks ones) we received the new development: in February the delegation of US State Department and US Embassy came to collect the applications from Turks to become the refuges in USA. More, than 10,000 people wrote such applications. The central TV showed the process, the villages, the houses & the people – all of them were met by Joe Garman. All these 10,000 Ahiska-Turks are to begin study English – the English Bibles are necessary for them.
  7. On 17.02.04 some man, who called himself "the battle officer" rang me up with phone and threatened me, trying to stop my activity.
In Jesus our hope!
Sincerely,  Nicholas E.Alyoshin--  Director of Mission Branch of ARM (DOM ARM)  Prof., etc.