Soviet Evangelicals Since World War II, Walter Sawatsky, 1981

ters were changed numerous times between 2. a Sanh beginning the Initsiativniki in Kiev with Georgi Vins at their head were highly influential in the reform movement, yet the first arrests in Kiev only took place in 1966. What accounts for the strong support in oa for the Initsiationiki? Here it appears much more to be the negative recor of Andreev. In one-document, the Initsiationiki charged that during the pe- riod 1945 to 1960 the most arrests had taken place in the Ukraine, where Andreev was senior presbyter, in Moldavia where Ivanov (later Astakhov) was senior presbyter, and the Baltic under Levindanto.4” The arrests in Be- lorussia were relatively few and concentrated in that area which was under the direct administration of senior presbyter. for the republic, Konstantin Veliseichik. Veliseichik (born 1910) had risen very rapidly, seeming to be the least likely candidate to succeed the esteemed old Evangelical Christian leader Chechnev, who died in 1958.48 The Initsiatiuniki were particularly critical of a letter signed by Veliseichik and his new assistant N. N. Germanovich which demanded full adherence to the new statute, declaring Dissent Begins, 1960-1965 . - : 185 that violation of the statute represented violation of Soviet law.49 When the newly created Orgkomitet reported to the churches in 1962, they complained specifically about several ‘senior presbyters. The’ most serious charges were advanced against F. R. Astakhov who they said had been excommunicated from the Kishinev congregation in 1957, after which he was transferred to be assistant senior presbyter for the Ukraine but from here too came requests signed by thousands of Ukrainian believers to have him dismissed.5° Astakhov was indeed removed as leader in Moldavia in 1957, served briefly as senior presbyter for the Caucasus region, and then emerged by 196] as assistant to. Mel nikov and Andreev in the Ukraine. As- takhov had considerable influence’as a member of the revision or auditing commission. The references in Bratskii Vestnik to his role in the Ukraine are notably restrained.5! : The other person specifically attacked was V. I. Ermilov who the Init- siativniki claimed had first been excommunicated from Volgograd, then from the Kazan congregation, but then he was appionted senior presbyter for Western Siberia and again declarations of ‘his dismissal had been received. Once again this tended to correspond with Ermilov’s career as revealed in Bratskii Vestnik. During the period 1958-62 there was a notice- able increase in the replacement of senior presbyters. How many of these were being replaced because congregations excommunicated them ‘and how many were being replaced because state authorities insisted cannot be determined from the evidence available. Two major trouble areas were Western Siberia, especially the Altai region, and Kazakhstan. Initsiatiuniki doubts about Ermilov’s integrity have already been noted.