the holy new martyrs of eastern russia - Coptic Orthodox teaching

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with his brother, he constructed a house out of a wooden pig-sty that a
parishioner had given him. On November 29, 1939 he was arrested on the
basis of a report that he was carrying out church rites in the homes of
believers and cast into Vyatka prison. During a search church utensils were
found in his house. His books were burned. According to Fr. Seraphim’s
nephew, “he was interrogated several times a day, especially at night. We can
say with certainty that tortures were applied.” The chekists took it in turns to
interrogate him, not allowing him to sleep day or night. At the beginning of
the investigation Fr. Seraphim affirmed that he never engaged in politics, nor
conducted agitation against Soviet power and did not criticize the measures
undertaken by the authorities. But at the end of the investigation he
compromised himself, and so on April 20, 1940 he was convicted of “illegal
carrying out of religious rites” and in accordance with article 58-10 part one
was sentenced to ten years in the camps with five years disenfranchisement.
He was sent to colony no. 3 at Kirs station, Omutino region, Vyatka province,
where he died in 1943, perhaps by starvation.
*
James Yakimovich Popov was born in 1875 in the village of Lom, Yaransk
uyezd, and lived there as a free peasant. In 1927 he was arrested and
sentenced to six months in prison, but was released on amnesty. On July 24,
1941 he was arrested for being “a participant in the counter-revolutionary
organization, the True Orthodox Church”, but on August 18, 1943 the case
was shelved because of the death of the accused.
Ilya Izotovich Kasyanov was born in 1906 in the village of Valki, Kiknur
uyezd, Vyatka province into a peasant family, and received an elementary
education. A free peasant, in the 1940s he went into hiding from military
service. On September 15, 1942 he was arrested for being “a participant in the
counter-revolutionary organization, the True Orthodox Church”, and on
August 18, 1943 he was sentenced to ten years in the camps and sent to a
camp. Nothing more is known about him.
Basil Ivanovich Sannikov was born in 1905 in the village of Maly
Kulyanur, Kiknur uyezd into a peasant family, and received an elementary
education. A free peasant, in the 1940s he went into hiding from military
service. On September 9, 1942 he was arrested for being “a participant in the
counter-revolutionary organization, the True Orthodox Church”, and on
August 18, 1943 he was sentenced to ten years in the camps and sent to a
camp. Nothing more is known about him.
Michael Semyonovich Zagulyaev was born in 1924 in the village of
Shabashi, Kiknur uyezd into a peasant family. In 1942 he was called up, but
on August 16 he deserted from the army and went into hiding in Vyatka
province. On October 16, 1942 he was arrested for being “a participant in the
counter-revolutionary organization, the True Orthodox Church”, and on
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