A meeting took place between Metropolitan Isidore and the commander of the Yenisei battalion and the deputy commander of the Siberia brigade for military personnel.

On April 26, 2024, in the office of the ruling bishop of the Smolensk diocese, a meeting was held between Metropolitan Isidor of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh with Nikolai Alekseevich Karpov, commander of the Yenisei volunteer battalion, and Oleg Vyacheslavovich Ivanov, deputy commander of the Siberia brigade for military personnel. The secretary of the Smolensk Diocesan Administration, Priest Vladislav Bagan, took part in the meeting.

Nikolai Alekseevich Karpov cordially thanked the archpastor for spiritual nourishment, prayerful assistance and personal participation in the execution of combat missions by the unit’s soldiers. The battalion commander especially emphasized that without this support, successful completion of combat missions is impossible. His Eminence Metropolitan Isidore of Smolensk and Dorogobuzh was awarded the medal “For Military Merit” during the Special Military Operation.

In consideration of their highly professional and conscientious service for the good of the Fatherland, the Smolensk archpastor awarded Nikolai Alekseevich Karpov and Oleg Vyacheslavovich Ivanov the right to wear a medal in honor of the holy martyr Mercury of Smolensk.