WREATHS LAID AT MONUMENT TO EMPEROR NICHOLAS II, FILM PREMIERE TONIGHT

BANJA LUKA, JULY 17 /SRNA/ - A service was held and wreaths were laid today at the monument to Russian Emperor Nicholas II Romanov in Banja Luka, marking 108 years since the execution of the Romanov imperial family.

Priest Miladin Mitrović, president of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society of Republika Srpska, told SRNA that preserving the memory of the holy imperial family reflects the Serbian people's collective love and respect for the sacrificial feat of Holy Emperor Nicholas.

"At a difficult historical moment, guided by his love for Serbia, Emperor Nicholas stood up for our people before the Austro-Hungarian occupiers," Mitrović recalls.

He noted that the commemoration of the anniversary of the Romanovs' execution, which has already become a tradition in the city on the Vrbas River, confirms the sincere friendship between the Serbian and Russian peoples and a clear commitment to further strengthening those ties.

Mitrović announced that the documentary film "Imperial Martyrs" by renowned Russian director Irina Vdovina will have its premiere tonight on Radio-Television Republika Srpska.

"The film is dedicated to the discovery of the holy relics of the imperial family. I sincerely hope that the screening of this documentary, in whose creation our Society invested great effort and love, will contribute to spreading the veneration of the holy martyrs among our people," Mitrović stressed.