On the night of May 10 to 11, 1986 in Afghanistan, the paratrooper Viktor Cherednichenko appeared before the battle with the mujahideen. He was not yet a believer, only a member of the Communist Party. But this appearance of the Virgin changed his entire subsequent life. Victor is now convinced that only by Her intercession he escaped death and was able to save his comrades, for which he was awarded the highest military award of the USSR — the Order of the Red Star, as well as the medal For Courage. Many years later, in the Russian at Athos, St. Panteleimon Monastery, he again saw this wonderful face – on the icon of the Mother of God “Abbess of Mount Athos” stored here.
The reserve sergeant Viktor Mikhailovich Cherednichenko says:
I came to Afghanistan to serve in 1984. Before that, he took paratrooper courses, then three and a half months served in Fergana in the 7th reconnaissance of the Airborne Training Regiment. From Ferghana, we, eight scouts, were urgently sent to master T-62D tanks. And then they were sent to Kabul in the 103rd Airborne Division, in a separate tank battalion.
I have always felt God’s help in Afghanistan. It wasn’t for my own sake, but for my mother’s prayers. When we were little, my mother would come into the room and baptize my sister and I. My sister was a komsorg at school. She said, “Mom, what are you doing?” I remember my mother crossing me, and I feel better. Before she left for Afghanistan, she gave me a prayer written on a piece of paper. I still keep it. But we didn’t wear crosses there because of zampoliti.
First of all, I remember two times when I should have died. One day we went to Vardag. I was sent to check the village. Peter Korablev was with me. I went to the door, pushed, closed. As befits a cheerful and physically healthy paratrooper, I pushed my foot through the door. With the second blow, the door fell out. And then I hear an incomprehensible click! It turned out that the «spirits» put a stretch. Petya also heard the click, although he was standing four meters from the door. He jumped, knocked me down and covered himself. Explosion! Then it turned out that my mother dreamed that I came home and knocked on the window. She woke up, opening the window. And there I stand: no legs, but alive. And she saw me as if in reality.
May 9, 1986 Joseph Kobzon came to us. After the performance, I went on stage, gave him Panama, shook hands. He says to the microphone, «In the Union, if you come to my concert, say the password to Kabul.» You will be admitted free of charge.” And indeed, fifteen years later, I went to his concert, said my password, and I was missed. He was a man who did not throw words to the wind.
After that concert, we went to the tent and lay down. Guitar, songs… We’ve been out for two years, Dembel. But I could not leave yet – I was waiting for a party ticket. He, according to the experience of others who joined the party in Afghanistan, was only due to arrive in August.
Here in the tent comes Captain Yarenko, the head of the political department of the regiment. He said, Victor, this is the situation. We’re going to war, we need two demos.” I answer: “Comrade captain! Pavel Grachev, commander of the division, said: Do not take demobiles! I can’t explain why, but it’s a lot of people who die. (My countryman, Sasha Kornienko, wrote a letter to his mother on April 10, 1986 that he should be home on April 18.) This is an urgent war. He went and died. The splinter hit the heart. The coffin came, he was buried. And then his letter came…
The captain turned around without words and was about to leave. But anyone who fought in Afghanistan knows that everyone had a certain authority there. And if someone, hiding behind a disease or something, evades war, then he is not respected. So I ask the captain, «Where is the operation going to be?» He turned around and said, «Where your countryman died, Kornienko.» On Chiricar. And I realized that to be weak-hearted, to refuse, is to betray the memory of my friend. I tell the captain, «I’ll go.» He said, «We need another one.» Looking back, all the guys in the tent are silent. And then Sasha Sanikovich from Belarus says: «I’ll go with you.»
At night, from the tenth to the eleventh of May 1986, I had a dream: I was running and I saw my mother. She rides the Volga with my sister. I try to catch up with them and I yell, «Mom, Mom!» And they drive on, they don’t hear me. I stumble, fall, and break my whole face. The whole jaw and teeth fall into my hands. Blood is pouring… I woke up and looked at the clock, three in the morning. He said, “This is going to be my last war.” I’ll stay there.»» And then I thought, «Oh, I wish I could see my mom.»
Suddenly, the tent moved. I got goosebumps. And then a woman in dark purple monastic robe enters the tent. Incredibly beautiful, I can’t even describe, so beautiful. It was a special, inner beauty. She has tenderness, love… The woman didn’t say a word. She came to my bed and crossed me once. I look her in the eyes, she looks me in the eyes too. I was christened the second time. And Kostya Shevchuk slept on my right. I wake him up and say, “Kostya, Mother of God, the Mother of God has come!” He opened his eyes, looked, saw no one. And he said, «Vitya, you are going to war soon.» Go to sleep. The woman stood a little, crossed me for the third time. And quietly, as if swimming, came out of the tent.
I’m relieved. I knew I was gonna live. Thirty minutes later, the messenger came in and said, Victor, get up! Let’s go to surgery. And we went to Chiricar…
There were forty pieces of equipment in the column. A BTS (armored tractor) was ahead. — Ed.), followed by intelligence. Then — the company commander Chernyshev. I follow Chernyshev. We were with Bocharov, deputy division commander.
We went to Chirikar himself. Suddenly my heart shrank. Usually a special, dembel, feeling did not let me down. I knew something was coming. And then the first car explodes! Almost immediately, the last car was blown up. It turned out that our entire column was tightly clamped in the village.
We have two «two hundredths», two «three hundredths» (killed and wounded). — Ed. A helicopter was called on the radio. The «pillar» begins to land directly in the village. At that moment, my heart broke again! Although I was the commander of the tank, I moved to the loader’s place, to the DSHK (large caliber machine gun). — Ed. I say to the gunner, «Get the gun where the helicopter is landing.» There was a pout nearby, the gunner pointed the gun at him.
The helicopter took the dead and wounded and began to climb up. And then, from behind the duval, a tripod with DSHK sticks out and starts aiming directly at the windshield of the helicopter! I almost instantly, without asking the commander for confirmation, command: “Fire!” There was nothing left of the duval and DSHK, the shell blew everything to shreds. Here I see that on the right, opposite the Chernyshev tank, a “dushara” with a grenade launcher runs out and aims directly at us! Everything was decided for a split second, we looked each other in the eyes. He did not have time to press the descent — I removed it from DSHK. And then began such an incredible shelling from all sides! It is not clear where their own, where strangers… I’m yelling at the liaison to move the car. The car was moved and we went to an open place. But there’s more shooting!
In this battle we shot all the ammunition. There was not a single shell left in the tanks, not a single cartridge in the machine guns.
Back at the unit this morning. Deputy division commander Bocharov approached me. He says, «Son, I saw everything.» Surname? – “Seattleman Cherednichenko, 3rd company”. He patted me on the shoulder and walked away.
The next day, the head of the political department of the regiment Yarenko tells me: “Victor, you and Sanikovich are urgently called to the political department of the division!” Sasha and I went to the political department. There we were given party tickets and immediately sent to the Union. On May 13, 1986, I was at home in Kiev and finally saw my mother.
We went to Vladimir Cathedral with her. The old priest, Father Nicholas, looked at me attentively and said: “Son, remember!” Your mother here for two years almost every day on her knees asked that you stay alive. That’s when I realized that a mother’s prayer can beg from the bottom of hell.
I really wanted to find the image of the Mother of God that I saw in the tent. My mother and I went through all the temples, and in general everything that could be visited. In one place I was shown an icon where many images of the Mother of God are collected. But the one I saw in Afghanistan I never found.
In 1992, Father Roman, my spiritual father, blessed me to go to the Holy Mount Athos, to the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery. I met wonderful people there, just angels in the flesh! I was standing in a monastery temple. It’s dark, candles are burning around… I turn my head and see the Mother of God as I saw her, in the tent! I fell to my knees, and tears rolled. Those were the first tears of my life. I was very tough, I’ve never had this before. And then the first crack in my hardness of heart formed. Like a nut shell, from my heart began this hardness of heart to fall off. And the light went in.
I went to the icon, hugged her and said, “Mom!..” I didn’t want to let her go. It was as if the child had lost his mother and found her again. And then the confessor of the Athos St. Panteleimon monastery, Father Makariy, led me to his cell and blessed me with this icon. I picked it up and didn’t let it out for a long time.
I can tell you a lot about Afghanistan. During a year and a half of service, it was only blown up five times: by land mines and anti-tank mines. It’s very hard to survive a blast. Your head is buzzing, your ears are ringing, you can’t say anything, you’re sick. But you’re alive… It’s someone’s hand that saves you, someone’s power that helps you survive. That is why I testify to the power of motherly prayers and to the help of God through these prayers. Thanks to this help, many children survived and survived. I will never leave the Orthodox faith. I urge you to believe, for God is everything.
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