A HERO RECOGNIZED POSTHUMOUSLY WITH THE FUTURE OF LIFE AWARD. VASILY ALEXANDROVICH ARCHIPOV.
Periodically, I write about Russia and Russians. Many years ago, in fact when I was about 7 years old, then again in my early 20s, the Lord led me to be curious about Russia - with specific events that took place in my life. Then, when I was re-upping into the US Army in 1992 after an 8 year hiatus, Jesus had me - in a most extraordinary way - meet a Russian believer, Masha - who at the time was living in Ridgefield Connecticut. Masha went on to be my ‘life’s most interesting person’, and definitely one of the most steadfast believers and followers of the Lord Jesus Christ that I have ever known. Meeting Masha prompted me to choose Russian as my target language at my soon to be next military post - The Defense Language Institute, of Monterey California, where I studied ‘TURBO Russian’ for one year - graduating first in my class with a 3-3-3 in the language. Years later, I understood that this was just one more indication that the Lord wanted me to know and understand Russia.
Masha used to love to recount how Russia has a ONE THOUSAND year history of Christianity. When Russia was taken over by the invading Bolscheviks in 1917, with its army of Jew and Christian and Russian haters, bolstered by a huge sum of cash from Western bankers, the Russian genocides began, and the church went underground.
When the dust settled on the whole affair in 1999 when Putin was appointed by a departing Yeltsin, the brakes were put on a slaughter of nearly ONE HUNDRED MILLION CHRISTIANS.. It was the largest genocide of all times. And somehow the Church in America pays it little mind.
But Putin brought Christianity back to Russia, rebuilding over 25,000 churches, and dragging his feet, some say way too long, to come to the aid of the Russians living inside of the brand new nation of Ukraine, penciled into its arbitrary borders in 1991, that were being bombed by their Ukrainian brethren. The genocide of Russians was kicking off again - and again thanks to a flush of cash from the West - this time in the person of the US State Department ($5,000,000,000).. and the unimaginable encouragement of the US and NATO.
Finally Putin acted. What I am hoping to do with a series of posts, is refresh (or build) American viewpoints of Russians, especially the view of the Church in America, to the end that they will see how much they have been lied to about Russia, and Russians. God how I wish you knew what I now know. It will be an effort to communicate some of it, but I will do my level best. For the sake of Russia, AND the USA, and the whole world.
What Stanislav Petrov did in 1983, saving the world from nuclear annihilation, Vasily Archipov did also, in 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Both of these Russian men, the world acknowledges, saved all life on earth.
Archipov's story is particularly riveting. You can listen to the video attached, or read about it yourself, there are dozens of versions of the story - but the short version is that Vasily Alexandrovich Archipov was one of 3 senior officers on a Soviet Sub underwater near Cuba, when John F Kennedy began having the Navy surround the Island. JFK had learned that the Sovs were setting up a missile base on Cuba, just 90 miles from US shores. So he commenced a blockade of ships to surround Cuba.
One Soviet sub in the area was in crisis. It was not designed for the hot southern seas, generally being assigned near the arctic; The temperatures on board the sub near Cuba ranged from 114 degrees all the way to 140 degrees. Then to make things worse, the American Navy was dropping depth charges around the sub - which were being interpreted onboard as - war has begun.
What NO one in US intelligence knew at that point, was that each of the Soviet subs were armed with torpedoes - of which ONE on each sub, was nuclear.
Responding hastily to what they deemed to be a war between the US & Russia underway, 2 of the 3 senior officers on board one of the Soviet Subs - set to engage its nuclear torpedo - preparing it to be fired at a nearby US Navy Ship; Which act would have been responded to with an effect not unlike nuclear fusion - that is, once it is unleashed - the kinetic effect cannot be put back in the box. A Nuclear war between the US and Russia - feared already on both sides - would have begun.
But by Russian military law, engaging the nuke required the agreement of all 3 of the submarine’s senior officers.
ONE officer stopped the process. The intelligent and cool headed Vasily Archipov. The pressure of the extreme vessel heat, heightened excitement about the meaning of the depth charges being aimed at the sub, and crunch of only 'seconds to decide', notwithstanding, Archipov refused to agree to prepare the nuke for deployment.
It is reported that he 'reasoned that the depth charges were intended to bring the sub to the surface', and not as everyone else was convinced, that they were under attack.
I'll tell you what I think. I think the man heard the voice of the Lord, whispering to him - 'They want you to surface. That's all'.
Archipov had to calm his senior peers, and was able to do so. The sub surfaced and saw that there was no war going on.
It is not known why the US ships were firing at the subs, as they were under orders to not do so. The entire situation could have blown out of proportion - to put it mildly - but it was assuaged, thanks to ONE man who under pressure - if you ask me - listened to the Lord.
BTW - If the USA was THAT excited about missile bases being positioned off our shores, why is it so hard for us to imagine that turning neighboring Ukraine into a US missile base, would have rocked the Russian government these last 9 years? Possibly you know that the United States has over 800 OCONUS military bases, and a good number of them, encircle Russia and China. Would God we would put ourselves in other men’s shoes. We could avoid a world wide cataclysm.
Finally, I said Russians helped us in 1776 also. Do you know how?
VJCB