MITROVIĆ: NICHOLAS II PLACED A SEAL ON HISTORIC RUSSIAN-SERBIAN RELATIONS

BANJA LUKA, JULY 17 /SRNA/ - The 107th anniversary of the execution of the Russian imperial Romanov family was commemorated today in Banja Luka, and a Holy Liturgy was celebrated at the Church of the Epiphany, followed by a prayer service, and wreaths were laid at the monument to Russian Tsar Nicholas II.

The commemoration was organized by the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society from Banja Luka, whose president, priest Miladin Mitrović, stated that by deciding to enter the Great War, Nicholas II, through his sacrifice, earned the eternal gratitude of the Serbian people, placing both a seal and a crown on the historic Russian-Serbian friendship.

He said that Tsar Nicholas entered the Great War without hesitation, solely to protect brotherly Serbia from the Austro-Hungarian occupier.

"Without considering the negative consequences that would later lead to the fall of the empire, the loss of his crown and his life, he was guided above all by the ideals of brotherhood and justice at a moment when a small, friendly nation became the victim of violence and deceit," Mitrović said in his address to those in attendance.

He noted that through the Holy Liturgy, prayers were offered for the intercession of the Holy Imperial Martyrs, so that in these difficult times, the Serbs may have a great heavenly beacon to illuminate the path not only for the Russian people, but for the Serbian people as well.

Mitrović said that the family of Tsar Nicholas II was deeply religious, devout, and church-minded, faithfully observing the Gospel commandments and continually performing acts of mercy.

"The last imperial family, the Romanovs, is remembered in historical memory as one of the brightest examples of devoted service to the Orthodox faith and their homeland," Mitrović emphasized.

He recalled the words of Bishop Nikolaj Velimirović, who said that a man may be indebted to another man, and one nation to another, but that what Tsar Nicholas did for the Serbian people obliges us all to weep when the Russians weep and to rejoice when the Russians rejoice.

"The Holy Tsar Nicholas is a unique and incomparable figure who gave and revealed the higher meaning of our friendly relations. For, according to the words of the Gospel, there is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends," Mitrović said.

He emphasized that, because of everything the Romanovs did, the Serbian people have a profound moral obligation not only to show deep respect for the Russian emperor but also to continue, through commemorations like this one, to foster sincere and brotherly ties with the Russian people.

Željko Žejić, who received the Pushkin Medal from the President of Russia for strengthening ties between the Serbian and Russian peoples, said that today is a great feast day for both Serbs and Russians, mindful of the immense sacrifice Tsar Nicholas II and his family made to protect the brotherly Serbian nation.

"We must never forget that sacrifice," Žejić emphasized.

Russian woman Ksenia Crnjić, married to a Serb from Banja Luka, said that the Holy Imperial Martyrs are most solemnly commemorated in Yekaterinburg, where the imperial family was executed.

She pointed out that the Russian people suffered and still bear the burden of this sin, and expressed her gratitude to Republika Srpska and the Serbian Orthodox Church for honoring and venerating these martyrs.

The Russian Imperial Romanov family - Tsar Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, and their five children - Olga, Tatiana, Maria, Anastasia, and Alexei - were executed on July 17, 1918.

They were killed by Bolshevik revolutionaries in Yekaterinburg, along with members of the imperial entourage.