High church order to Dr Leonid Reshetnikov

 His Holiness Irinej, Serbian Patriarch, presented the order of Holy Emperor Constantine to Dr. Leonid Reshetnikov, Director of the Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS), at the Serbian Patriarchate in Belgrade, today on 29 April  2014.

His Eminence Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Littoral, His Grace Vicar Bishop Jovan of Ulpiana, Founder of the NGO Naša Srbija Mr. Mladjan Djordjevic, several members of the Russian Duma, as well as friends and associates of Dr. Reshetnikov attended this solemn ceremony.

In his address His Holiness Irinej pointed out that the Serbian Orthodox Church awarded the longtime friend of the Serbian people and the Serbian Orthodox Church, Dr. Leonid Reshetnikov, with the Order of Holy Emperor Constantine for exceptional merits in strengthening spiritual, cultural and historical connections of the Serbian and Russian peoples.

Dr. Reshetnikov thanked for this high distinction and underlined that it was a great reward for him. “Maybe I haven’t deserved it, but I know that a significant part of my life I have devoted to strengthening of  the Slavonic Orthodox unity, especially the unity of the Serbian people with Russia, that is historically and religiously so close to Russia. The Serbs are the people that really love the Russian people, he said. We, in turn, respect many Serbian saints which in the calendar have the same significance and devotion as Russian saints. Our children often  bear names of some Serbian saints, such as Sava, Nikolai... This reward of the Serbian Patriarch is most significant for me, and it is in the same rank as the award of Prince St. Daniel. I  promise You, Your Holiness, that I will also in future, God permitting, devote myself to the Russian Orthodox Church and the Serbian Orthodox Church, our Orthodox world”, Reshetnikov said.

Dr. Leonid Reshetnikov presented a traditional Russian tea cup and his latest book Returning to Russia, which has been translated into Serbian and published recently.

Leonid Reshetnikov, PhD, graduated from the history department of the Kharkov State University (1970). He absolved postgraduate studies at the history department of the Sofia University (1971-1974). In 1974 he defended his Ph.D. thesis. He has published more than dozen articles on topics of Soviet-Bulgarian relations in the years 1917-1945, Russian emigrations to Greece, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia after the civil war in Russia, as well as on current political situation in the Balkans.  Longer than three decades he worked in economic and military establishments.  He finished his Army service as Lieutenant-General. By the Presidential Decree ofApril 29, 2009 Dr. Reshetnikov  was appointed director of the Institute for Strategic Studies. He is member of the Scientific Council at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Scientific Council of the Security Council of the Russian Federation and the Social Council of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. He holds civil and church awards, speaks fluently Bulgarian, Serbian and Greek.

photo: Sinisa Jovanovic