Builders of an offline state Daniil Turovsky talks about the Orthodox movement “Forty Forties”

short biography

Andrey Kormukhin was born on February 20, 1970. Brother of singer Olga Kormukhina[1].

External circumstances and the internal spiritual struggle between the “physicist” and the “lyricist” led to repeated changes in Kormukhin’s areas of activity. Having entered the Nizhny Novgorod University named after N.I. Lobachevsky at the Faculty of Computational Mathematics and Cybernetics, he was then drafted into the army. At the end of his military service, Kormukhin left the university and received a musical education at the Gnessin State Music College, but then graduated from Moscow State Pedagogical University with a degree in jurisprudence[1].

Andrey Kormukhin is the author of the music for a number of songs (“The Right to Love”, “The Wanderer”, “I Just Need You” - with lyrics by Konstantin Arsenev[4], “Prayer” - with lyrics by Rimma Kazakova and Olga Kormukhina[5]), recorded Olga Kormukhina[4][5].

Andrey Kormukhin was involved in business for some time. However, as he himself reports, at some point he realized “that our Orthodoxy is young” and has not recovered from the consequences of the prolonged ideological oppression of the Soviet era. This realization prompted Andrei Kormukhin to become involved in the “Forty Forties” movement[1].

However, Kormukhin’s name appeared in Interfax news even before

creation of "Forty Forties". Then he acted as the leader of the “Russia with Many Children” movement [6] (Kormukhin is the father of 9 children [1] and a recipient of the “Parental Glory” medal [2]). Subsequently, his activities were repeatedly covered by various media (see below).

Nine on the benches

— This is an unexpected question for you: what is harder - coordinating “Forty Forty” or the lives of nine children? “I think the Lord will ask me more about my nine children.” “Forty forty” is a shared responsibility, it is such a cathedral. And children are my personal responsibility before God, so I am more concerned about who I will raise them to be. I think it would be wrong if I pull the blanket over myself in our movement: I would like to create an organization that could exist without personal factors (catches his son running past. - A.K.). But this is a personal factor! What I will raise him to be, the Lord will ask. Otherwise, you can say a lot of beautiful words, but you don’t understand who to grow.

— You have a whole team of sons. Is there a recipe for raising a man? — It was easier for me in this regard: we grew up in courtyards. Despite the era, we learned certain moral principles: we had principles - to protect the weak, not to allow a girl or a woman to be offended. The boy must know that he is a defender of faith, family and the Fatherland, a defender of the weak. I teach my sons active defense: this is not when you sit in a fortress and wait for them to starve you out, but when you do everything so that they cannot surround you, in order to create the opportunity for yourself to defeat ill-wishers or, in the worst case, to retreat somewhere without losses . And I also try to instill in them the principles of honoring their parents and elders. The eldest of the children is always right - this is the law in our family. And if he is wrong, then dad will deal with him separately later. It is not customary for us to complain about elders - if this happens, both can be punished. The elders managed to convey this, and then they went on to educate each other along the chain.

— Why, in your opinion, raise a boy to be a defender if he then sits in an office? “Our eldest son just recently returned from the army, served in the naval special forces in Kronstadt. But I think he understands that the role of a defender does not boil down to the fact that you are proficient in hand-to-hand combat and shoot from a machine gun. There is spiritual protection, and there is material protection. For example, no one removed the responsibility from a man to support his family - this is also protection.

— Are there any family traditions in the Kormukhin family? - Yes many! We love to get together on different holidays. Relatives come to us for Christmas, Olga with Lesha and Tosha (Andrei Borisovich’s sister, famous singer Olga Kormukhina, her husband Alexey Belov, guitarist of the rock band “Gorky Park”, and their daughter Anatolia. - Ed), we are preparing for their arrival we bake goose or turkey in a Russian oven (by the way, some children refused to eat their geese that we raise). Most often for Christmas we prepare a family performance and family concerts. I graduated from Gnesinka, my friends come to us - musicians, poets, we all sit on the floor, and everyone shows what they can. Almost all of our traditions are connected with Orthodox holidays. It so happened that my wife Olga and I got married on Intercession, and for us this, of course, is a special holiday. By Easter we have a whole “factory” opening. Since Holy Wednesday, children do not go to school; they sit at two tables and decorate Easter cakes and paint eggs. On Thursday we finish everything at 3-4 am! At Epiphany everyone goes to take a dip in the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery, we take the little ones, and the children’s friends began to join us, even our sons’ biathlon coach went with us.

— Do your children somehow participate in the “Forty Forty” movement? - Yes, sure! Our second son Seraphim, who is in the tenth grade, recently told Olga and me the following story. His Ingush friends, two twin brothers, watched the “Forty Forties” videos and said: “Can we also participate in the movement’s events?” The son was surprised: “You are Muslims!” And they: “We really respect people who love their faith and stand for it. We would like to help you." They also understand that this is how the struggle should be! Unfortunately, we have been turned into consumers - we have almost no common interests in society, everyone is an individualist. First, we really need to reclaim ourselves. And for this there is absolutely no need to wave your fists.

Worldview

According to Kormukhin, “Russia cannot exist outside of Orthodoxy,” otherwise it will either simply die, or fall apart, or become an “Islamic project,” or, finally, a “colony of America”[7].

Commenting on this statement, Kormukhin points out that all current political science theories speak of the ability of peoples to survive only if they implement a civilizational project that includes at least 300 million people. These include the United States and China, although “the European Union may be a separate civilization,” but Russia with its 145 million, even taking into account Kazakhstan and Belarus, cannot count on this status. According to Kormukhin, only the Orthodox faith, which can give strong large families and true patriots, can “turn on the mechanisms of survival in a global sense” [7].

He considers the construction of churches under “Program 200” a matter of extreme importance: “Each church protects the boundaries of our moral values...” He believes that opposition to the construction of Orthodox churches is an integral part of coordinated activity[8]:

Orthodoxy annoys everyone; huge amounts of money are invested in the war against Orthodoxy. Organized groups travel throughout Moscow and oppose the construction of churches.

Attitude towards paganism and other “religious projects”

Considers neo-paganism as a destructive technology launched to undermine the “Russian world” from within[7].

He believes that in the early 1990s, “many religious projects descended on Russia,” such as Protestantism, Scientology, and Jehovah’s Witnesses, which, although they involved individuals in their activities, generally began to be rejected by society, since Russians tend to “ Orthodox code"[7]:

They were either banned by the state, or they closed, or went underground.

On the contrary, “paganism included other codes, which is why it is dangerous.” The danger of the pagan “project,” according to Kormukhin, is due to the fact that “certain forces” were able to “find a similar conceptual apparatus for young people”[7].

Patriotism, family values

He believes that the term “patriotism” can have very different meanings: “We are all patriots now, but for everyone this concept is filled with different meanings.” Believes it is impossible to put the homeland above God. Argues that in the absence of faith in God, “a vinaigrette begins” (ideological chaos arises), in which “everyone fights for his own

homeland"[7].

He claims that children are the key to family happiness and calls himself a very happy person[7].

Andrei Kormukhin: “We need to be saved by a “gang””

On June 1, the social movement “Forty Forty” celebrated its two-year anniversary. During this time, it united more than 10 thousand people and became, without exaggeration, one of the most influential in the Orthodox community. What allowed the movement to gain such wide recognition, what goals it sets for itself – Andrei Kormukhin, coordinator of the “Forty Forty” movement, spoke about this and much more:

Go beyond the fence

Andrey Kormukhin

“We arose not because some circular was issued from above or because someone initiated the creation of the movement, it’s just that people have finally matured in order to revive what was destroyed during the 70-year period of the communist regime and the timelessness of 1990.” -s. We have a thousand-year Orthodox history behind us, and now we remember this. We realized that we could no longer live within the confines of a church fence or some kind of Orthodox reservation that was formed during the Soviet years. In the 1990s, in all spheres of public life - in culture, education, politics, art - a certain kind of elite appeared, which formed the image of a kind of Orthodox marginal in the mass consciousness. The main messages of that time: the biblical project is completed, Russia is facing new discoveries and achievements, we have a secular state, do what you want within your church walls, but just don’t leave it.

– The movement appeared in 2013, which suggests that it was apparently born as a response to the information campaign to discredit the Russian Orthodox Church in 2012?

- Yes exactly. When information attacks on the Patriarch began, the scandal with Pussy Riot occurred, it became clear that the time had come for Orthodox Christians to finally go outside the church fence and stand up for their faith.

Andrey Kormukhin and the Forty Forties movement

We have not yet overcome the crisis of consciousness, when Orthodoxy is considered something peripheral to the life of the country

Do you remember what scandals there were when the draft course on Orthodox culture in educational institutions was presented? All the media then burst out with phrases: “The Church is again meddling in the educational field!” But in fact, no one imposed this course. They just wanted to convey that our country has an Orthodox foundation, an Orthodox history of all victories, and now we are losing it all. Even in the Great Patriotic War we won because the national spirit awoke. When we realized that we were fighting not with the Germans, not with the fascist coalition, but with evil, then this great Victory became possible. Now historical facts are already being revealed, how during the war Stalin addressed people not as “comrades”, but as “brothers and sisters”, how churches were opened. It just became clear that the chimera could not be defeated. This chimera eventually collapsed in 1990, when, again, abandoning Orthodoxy, it tried to drive people into the communist project. The times of atheistic power are long gone, but we have not yet overcome the crisis of consciousness, when Orthodoxy is considered something peripheral to the life of the country. Why do we have to constantly make excuses for our worldview, for our activity? “Forty Forties” is our attempt to overcome this crisis. We have decided to stand in defense of Orthodox values ​​and will strive to preserve Russia as our Orthodox ancestors left it for us - with its thousand-year history and culture.

How the puzzle came together

– Tell us how the movement started.

– In 2013, at the dawn of our development, we saw ourselves, first of all, as defenders of the construction of new churches built under the “200 churches” program. We met many of the guys who were at the origins of the movement at events related to the protection of construction sites. There was a terrible attack on this program, and it was planned and very well financed. When we saw like-minded people, we realized that we needed to act. At first they wanted to do this point-by-point - to choose one temple and defend its construction. As a result, to date we have helped, to one degree or another, 15 Orthodox communities in Moscow find their churches. And this activity continues.

– The “Forty Forties” movement, one might say, burst into the information space and the Orthodox world. In just two years, 10 thousand people have already joined it...

– We do not associate this with any of our talents or organizational abilities. To a greater extent, we developed according to the will of God and not because of something, but in spite of it. When everything was falling apart for us, when it seemed that it was impossible to do anything, suddenly the puzzle, which seemed to be disassembled, at a certain moment came together, and everything worked out. And, to our joy, people threw up their hands and said: “Yes, well done, guys.” But we understood that we were not the good guys. And, again, I think, by the will of God, the challenges were correctly formulated, and we became clear.

Our main message: Russia can only exist as an Orthodox country. People heard this and followed us.

Our main message: Russia can only exist as an Orthodox country. People, having heard this, followed us, began to join the movement and take an active part in our events and actions. I’ll be honest: we didn’t expect such a flow of people and were a little confused. We felt for ourselves what “growing pains” are. But then they realized what to do and began to form a structure, a management and coordination system. As a result of these transformations, we turned from a brotherhood into a movement.

Orthodox code

– You defend the construction of new churches, hold Sorochinsky meetings with famous Orthodox people, the clergy, assist in ensuring order during patriarchal services, collect humanitarian aid for the residents of Donbass as part of the program “From Temple to Temple! From soul to soul!”, accompany believers arriving to worship Orthodox shrines, organize sports events and much more. But what results of the movement do you consider the most significant?

– If we were talking to you a year ago, I would say that this is support for the construction of new churches in Moscow and the formation of an active wing in the Orthodox community that is ready to stand up for the faith and for the Fatherland. Now I see everything more widely.

I have 9 children, and I care what country my children will grow up in

I have 9 children, and I care what country my children will grow up in. Russia must recognize itself as an Orthodox power, in which Orthodoxy must be the foundation that unites many nationalities and many confessions. After all, there is no enmity between people of different faiths who have inhabited our country from time immemorial. It was Orthodoxy that made it possible to preserve all this. We did not slaughter a single people, as was the case in some supposedly Christian countries, and did not allow ourselves any cultural expansion into territories that adhered to their own culture. We were simply suggesting. If we take our northern lands, then at first it was not warriors who went there, but priests and missionaries. Let's even take the Caucasus. He has always been predominantly Muslim. Yes, we fought with them, but we did not fight for faith. It’s just that at a certain point we were tired of the fact that people were taken into slavery and the carts were robbed. It was necessary to put these territories within a cultural framework. In principle, nothing has changed now. Look what Vladimir Vladimirovich did in the early 2000s in Chechnya. Ask them: was it better for them to live “under Basayev” at that time or “under Kadyrov” today?

– There is a study that is conducted almost every year - the “Happiness Index of Russian Cities” - and, oddly enough, Grozny almost always takes first place in the ranking...

- Nothing strange. They are happy because their landmarks are set correctly. We, having an Orthodox cultural code, are still trying to renounce it. This is the same as taking a gas mask away from a person in a vacuum and saying: “Breathe.”

There is no synergy

– How do you generally assess the level of social activity of Orthodox people?

- He is different. In general, our Orthodox field is just beginning to form. Until today, there were several institutions and structures that were Orthodox, but they worked on different planes, with different audiences. The reason for this disunity was the events of the 20th century, when the Church, for objective reasons, became somewhat atomized. There were very few parishes, but each of them was a separate, closed world for its parishioners. As a result, today we have the concept of a parish, a rector, a confessor, but there is no concept of the Orthodox world, conciliarity. At least it wasn't until recently. For every Orthodox Christian, the interests of his parish and spiritual father are higher than the interests of the entire Orthodox world. Moreover, there was even some kind of rivalry: “each sandpiper praised his swamp.” This is due to the fact that there simply were not those challenges that would concern each individual parish. But now there is a threat to Orthodoxy as a whole as a civilizational code. And now we remembered that we need to be saved as a “gang,” and finally began to slowly unite, regardless of who our confessor is and what parish we are in.

– What is the driving force behind the process of unification of the Orthodox?

– The main driving force now is Patriarch Kirill. He has a good sense of time. Hence his some criticism towards missionaries and educational institutions, which should be catalysts for this process. All Orthodox organizations must unite. There is such a fashionable word “synergy”. So, now there is no Orthodox synergy. But only it can make us a civilizational project again - although we are one, we don’t realize it yet. Russia cannot exist outside of Orthodoxy. It will either simply perish, or there will be some scattered states, republics, or it will become an Islamic project, and maybe even a colony of America. In our country, from 75 to 80% say that they are Orthodox and associate themselves with them. At the same time, only 5% are churchgoers. When we cross the threshold of 20–30% of those who are churched, then this moment of synergy will begin; now, individually, it is very easy to “click” us.

75% of Jews, 70% of Protestants and only 5–10% of Orthodox Christians want to leave Russia

It is also important to understand that we simply will not survive as a civilization any other way. All political science theories today say that peoples can survive only if they implement a civilizational project, the number of people in which is at least 300 million. America can be called a separate civilization, China can be called a separate civilization, even the European Union can be a separate civilization. We, with 145 million people, even if we count Kazakhstan with 14 million and Belarus with 9 million people, cannot count on this. God willing, if we reach 200 million. What civilizational code would allow us to enable survival mechanisms in a global sense? Only Orthodoxy. Only it can give us strong families with many children, and not 80 divorces for every 100 marriages. Only it can give us true patriots. Not long ago there was a survey among Russian youth of different faiths on the topic of migration. The result is approximately the following: 75% of Jews, 70% of Protestants and only 5–10% of Orthodox Christians want to leave Russia. Everything is explained simply: how can one leave a God-given country?

Salvation in humility?

– Some believe that actively expressing oneself in public life is not entirely acceptable for a believer, since humility is often at the forefront of believers...

– Well, firstly, we need to remember the history of Orthodoxy, secondly, the history of Russia and, thirdly, the history of the Russian Orthodox Church. We all know the notorious dispute between supporters of the positions of Nil Sorsky and Joseph Volotsky, who lived at the same time. One called for salvation through asceticism, and the other argued that an Orthodox person should equally be both a man of prayer and a statesman. In this regard, we can recall the eternal dispute between Orthodox patriots and Ouranopolitans, who say that we are all brothers throughout the world. Yes, we are all brothers, but we have a homeland - Russia. God grant that we have just such disputes.

Venerable Joseph of Volotsky and Nil of Sorsky

As for humility, I’ll answer the question with a question. Could a state appear that occupies 1/6 of the landmass if all the inhabitants of this state simply humbly prayed all this time? There are spiritual challenges, when each person individually saves his soul, and there are social challenges, when your state, your loved ones, your family are attacked.

A warrior of Christ must be irreconcilable to the insults of the state, family, faith, loved ones, and the weak.

In this regard, I liked the statement of Archpriest Andrei Tkachev, voiced by him at our Sorochin meetings. Its meaning boils down to the following: if they hit you on your left cheek, turn your right cheek and you will receive grace; if you hit a weak person in front of you, break the offender’s jaw, and there will be even greater grace. A person must be humble regarding his sins, but regarding offenses against the state, family, faith, loved ones, and the weak, he must be an irreconcilable warrior of Christ.

– Speaking of warriors. Today, many strive to raise children as patriots, so that they serve both God and the Fatherland. But what is patriotism?

– If for you Orthodoxy and faith are of paramount importance, if you are a Christian, then for you patriotism plays with those colors that allowed us to become 1/6 of the land. If you are a liberal and at the same time a patriot, then you will want Russia to become a European power with liberal values, so that same-sex marriages and the like can be concluded. This is a trap that is very easy to fall into. We are all patriots now, but for everyone this concept is filled with different meanings. I am sure that we cannot put our homeland above God, because we were created by God the Father. The attitude towards the homeland as God’s creation is correct. Only in this case will you defend it as the country given to you by God. And if you don’t have God, then a vinaigrette begins: everyone fights for their homeland, everyone has their own homeland.

Patriotism and youth

– In many cities of Russia today, clubs, squads, brotherhoods and other youth structures are being created, which are called military-patriotic and Orthodox-patriotic. What are their features and differences from each other? What would you, as a father of many children, advise parents to consider and know when choosing such a club?

– What to choose depends on the position of the parents. For example, the military-patriotic name is closer to me, because the military component is important for children. They come there to learn how to be warriors. However, given that we are a country where the majority of the population considers themselves Orthodox, these military-patriotic clubs should a priori be Orthodox. In the clubs there must be a priest who will read a prayer, instruct the children, and tell about the holy warriors: Alexander Nevsky, Dmitry Donskoy, Fyodor Ushakov, St. George the Victorious, Dmitry Thessalonica, and the forty Martyrs of Sebaste. After this, children will begin to correctly perceive military feats. We need to convey to them that a warrior is not one who goes to kill people, but one who goes to defend his homeland, his people, his faith and his family.

It is the realization that we are with God that makes us happy. And in the Gulag, and in war, and even in misfortune

Correct value guidelines are also very important in educating young people. Most recently, I gave a lecture for young people at the “Spiritual Unity” forum, which took place in Tula. I asked the guys two banal questions: which of you wants to be happy, and what does it mean to be happy? Of course, the answers were expected: everyone wants to be happy, and everyone’s concept of happiness is approximately the same: material wealth, a happy family, professional self-realization. “What if the house burns down, the wife leaves and there is no job? – I asked. “Will the person become unhappy?” But every person strives for happiness. How to be? You need to set a goal that cannot be achieved for a long time. If you set yourself easily achievable goals, then after you achieve them, devastation arises, and not everyone can psychologically cope with it. Happiness does not lie in Mercedes, dachas, villas and islands. After all, as soon as you buy yourself, for example, a 50-meter yacht, you start thinking about a 100-meter one. And we, Orthodox people, are a priori happy. Every Orthodox person sets himself the goal of saving his soul. And he builds his whole life according to this goal. That’s why we are happy in the Gulag, happy in war, and happy even in misfortune. It is the realization that we are with God that makes us happy.

Page of Patriarch Kirill on the social network VKontakte

– Not long ago, Patriarch Kirill called on the clergy to more actively use social networks in conveying the word of God. At the same time, he set an example by opening his official page in “Elitsa”, as well as in secular social networks. What do you think this will do for the Church?

– The fact that His Holiness appeared on social networks is undoubtedly the right move. And the fact that the bot attacks that we are seeing on VKontakte began is also inevitable. However, closing the ability to comment, as many suggest, is not entirely correct. A page closed for comments is of no interest. And for His Holiness this is important because he must see a real popular reaction to publications related to his activities. Therefore, of course, the fact that in Elitsy the patriarchal page is not closed and at the same time there is not all the negativity that is on VKontakte makes it more convenient and safe for Internet users. And the fact that the bishops’ pages are also “attached” to it will allow people in the regions to keep abreast of affairs both locally and in the country as a whole. As far as I know, there is no such functionality in other social networks. In addition, I see great prospects in the Orthodox social network specifically for working with young people, and I think that soon we will evaluate all these opportunities in practice.

– Andrey, recently another serious problem has appeared. Now there is a competition between Orthodoxy and paganism for youth. This has already acquired the character of some kind of competition for “who is cooler.” Even the well-known boxer Alexander Povetkin, being a baptized man, became an adherent of neo-paganism. In your opinion, why is this happening, what are the threats of the passion for neo-paganism? How can young people who have not yet come to God recognize neo-paganism in time and not go down the wrong path?

– Neopaganism is technology. Moreover, it is pure destructive technology. It was launched in order to tear the Russian world apart from the inside. Let's remember what happened in the early 1990s. Many religious projects descended on Russia: Protestantism, Scientology, Jehovah's Witnesses. Yes, some people ended up in sects, but in general, given that Russian people still have an Orthodox code, all these sects began to gradually be rejected by society. They were either banned by the state, or they closed, or went underground. But paganism included other codes, which is why it is dangerous. They essentially made a substitution of concepts: the gospel principle was replaced by a national, ethnic one, which implies that tribal blood is higher than the Blood of Christ. At the same time, they say that Orthodoxy is good, it is the faith of our ancestors. It turns out that a person can declare himself a Christian, but in practical life be a pagan.

Photo: AP/Sergey Ponomarev

Neopaganism is technology. It was launched in order to tear the Russian world from the inside

This technology is not new: when it is impossible to break it from the outside, you need to do it from the inside. And then everything is simple: they found certain forces, in the person of the same Povetkin, and launched a massive information attack. They managed to find a similar conceptual framework for young people. Moreover, their target audience is football fans, young people who are interested in sports, computers, gadgets and, for the most part, do not read books. The development of clip thinking has led to the fact that a certain part of young people simply stopped thinking. And so clear and simple messages of a poster nature are thrown in for them, such as “My God did not call me a slave.”

Every person seeks God, especially a Russian person who has such a background - the 1000-year history of Orthodoxy. And at the same time, everyone wants to remain independent in making decisions. Paganism is very convenient in this regard. You can sin, not strive to get rid of your sin and still remain a believer. Therefore, again, this guy with glasses, whom the priest entrusted to head the youth department, will not be able to go to the rocking chair and say: your gods are just idols, cut down in the forest by the carpenter Uncle Vasya, and the history of Christianity in Rus' is a civilization equal to which is practically non-existent.

Children have always been and will be the key to family happiness. I am a very happy person!

– Andrey, I would like to touch upon such an important issue for young people as starting a family. You have already announced these terrible data: for every 100 marriages, there are 80 divorces. How did you come to create a large family? What advice would you give to young people?

– Even as a child, I told my parents that when I grow up, I will have three children, because there should be a lot of Russians. I didn’t set myself the goal of having many children; it’s just impossible to live an Orthodox life any other way. How many God sent, as they say. I would advise young people to be happy. There is great happiness - to be an Orthodox person, and there is small happiness - family. Children have always been and will be the key to family happiness. At the same time, one child is one happiness, two children are two happiness, and nine children... In a word, I am a very happy person!

Movement "Forty Forties"

Main article: Forty forty (movement)
Interfax website: number of documents found (as of August 19, 2015)

Examples of public statements, comments, etc.

• In December 2014, Andrei Kormukhin harshly criticized the project of the creative group “Glow,” which proposed to install a light object “The Eye of Sauron” on the roof of one of the business buildings (Sauron in the books of John Tolkien appears as the personification of evil)[11].
• On August 14, 2015, Andrei Kormukhin, along with other representatives of the Orthodox community, spoke out in support of tough measures aimed against gay propaganda in all its forms and the public use of LGBT symbols. The joint resolution also includes a call to support anti-abortion initiatives[12].

Andrey Kormukhin is one of the two coordinators of the “Sorok Sorokov” movement (variants of spelling of the name - Soro Sorokov

,
Movement of the Forty Forties
, abbr.
DSS
[2]). The second was Russian boxing champion Vladimir Nosov[13], but it is Kormukhin who is more often featured in media publications (see table) and speaks on behalf of the movement.

The most important task that the movement sets for itself is the struggle for the construction of Orthodox churches[1]. The idea to create “Forty Forties” is determined, according to Andrei Kormukhin, by the desire to overcome “the crisis of consciousness, when Orthodoxy is considered something peripheral to the life of the country.” To achieve this, he considers it important not to limit his activities within the boundaries of a kind of ghetto—the church fence[1].

Story

The “Forty Forty” movement[13] is an Orthodox movement created on June 1, 2013 and uniting believers with an active civic position[13].

The creation of the movement was a response to the 2012 information campaign against the Russian Orthodox Church and the Pussy Riot scandal. At that point in time, the movement saw itself primarily as a defender of new temple construction within the framework of the “200 Temples” program[7].

At the end of July 2014, the number of participants registered on the movement’s page on the social network VKontakte reached the “symbolic” value of 4,040 (can be read as forty forty

)[14].

In June 2015, the ranks of the movement numbered 10,000 people[7]. The activities of the movement are diverse[13].

Representatives of the “Forty Forties” movement took an active part in the confrontation between opponents and supporters of the construction of the temple in Torfyanka Park. The conflict on a regional scale not only reached the forefront of the news, but also attracted the personal attention of Patriarch Kirill and his appeal to the parties involved with a call “to renounce confrontation”[15].

Faith is not just for grandmothers

— In part of society, alas, there is an idea that any activity of the Orthodox is kindness with fists, “obscurantism,” rudeness and disrespect for dissidents. What can be opposed to this? — I am sure that people need to show the beauty of Orthodoxy precisely through creation, to unite people in goodness. There is no use if we beat our chests and say how good we are. Life needs to show this. I think it is necessary to create a positive agenda, create the opportunity to live together with people of other views and religions, but understand that our country is, first of all, Orthodox. People are misled, they say that the “Forty Magpies” are shaven-headed young men. Who are these “shaven-headed guys”? Vladimir Nosov, international master of sports in boxing, Alexander Borodin, Russian champion in powerlifting, Sergei Fedotkin, world champion in karate, Sergei Vodopyanov, world champion in boxing? But can I, the father of nine children, holder of the Order of Parental Glory of the City of Moscow, be called a hooligan, a shaven-headed young man?

After the fraternal prayer service

— How do you protect churches under construction in practice? — We call this “soft power.” Together with us, for example, on the site where there should be a temple and where disagreements arise around its construction, guys-athletes, the pride of Russia - world champions in boxing, world champions in karate, world champions in wrestling, powerlifting, and arm wrestling - come out. And it's strong. The guys don’t agitate anyone, they come not to fight, not to enter into conflict, but to pray. But at the same time, I would not call their position weak or passive. You know, the feat of the forty Sebastian martyrs is very close and in tune with us. These were young guys, the elite of the best army in the world! For their faith in Christ, they were driven into an icy lake and told: “Here you go, there is a hot bath on the shore. You can renounce Christ, warm up and become a warrior again.” But they refused, only one went to the bathhouse and fell dead. But in his place stood one of the guards who drove them into the icy lake. He stood up with the words: “Now I, too, am a Christian!” They were all then killed. Was the position of these forty warriors passive?

— Does it happen that your opponents change their point of view? They also have their own truth... - There are simply amazing cases. Men came to protest against the construction of the temple. We ask them: why are you protesting? And they answer: “We are fighting for traditional values.” It was a shock for us! Guys, wait, what do you understand by traditional values, what is this?

“And we,” they answer, “always grilled shish kebab in this place, relaxed, and drank.” We say: “Yes, this is a huge territory. There will be a temple here, move a hundred meters away and grill kebabs there.” They: “We can’t.” Why, we ask. “But my conscience doesn’t allow me... next to the temple...”

This is why we say that protests against the construction of churches are associated with some kind of misconceptions... Society has formed the idea that if Orthodox Christians somehow express themselves outside the church fence, no matter how - through sermons, teaching “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” at school, construction of temples, this means that they infringe on someone’s rights. But we are talking here rather about the right to permissiveness, to which many have already become accustomed. And it’s amazing when the same people who opposed the construction of churches later become parishioners.

—Have you witnessed such cases? — Father Gregory, rector of the Church of the All-Merciful Savior in Mitino, told us about this. Before the construction of a large stone temple, there was a small wooden one. Opponents of the construction went to rallies, and among them there was a woman, she also spoke. And when the temple was built, she came there just to look (as the priest said). The next time I went to Father Gregory for confession, I gradually became a parishioner. She says: “I couldn’t even imagine that there would be such beauty here that I myself would want to come and pray.” There are many cases where people opposed the construction of temples without even realizing it. On Khodynka, for example, many residents signed a petition against any construction on Khodynka Field. And their signatures were used to submit a request to the prefecture against the construction of the temple. Official responses from the prefecture came to these people’s addresses, and they were surprised: “I didn’t sign this!” There are many such cases in Moscow.

Participants in the movement have to deal with different reactions of people to the construction of the temple

Performance evaluations

The activities of Andrei Kormukhin and the movement he leads are assessed extremely differently.

Patriarch Kirill, among others, expressed his assessment of Andrei Kormukhin’s activities, who personally presented him with a gift for his 45th birthday - an icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, and also thanked the participants of the “Forty Forties” movement for their activities[16].

Notes

1. ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Alexander Kondratenko.
   Temple guard // “Thomas”, No. 5 (145), May 2015
2. ↑ 1234
   THE FORTY MOVEMENT (DSM) CELEBRATED THE 2ND ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDATION // Pravoslavie.Ru, June 8, 2015.
3. Andrey Kormukhin receives the medal of Vladimir the Baptist // YouTube, July 12, 2015
4. ↑ 12
   Music // Olga Kormukhina, official website.
5. ↑ 12
   Music // Olga Kormukhina, official website.
6. Orthodox Christians ask Naryshkin to open a temple in the State Duma and support the law on NGOs // Interfax-religion, July 6, 2012.
7. ↑ 123456789
   Andrey Kormukhin: “You need to be saved by a “gang”” // Pravoslavie.Ru, June 17, 2015.
8. Andrey Kormukhin: “The nuclear weapon of the Russian people is their spirituality” // “Orthodox View”.
9. searching results
10. searching results
11. The Orthodox saw in “The Eye of Sauron” a project to introduce the “kingdom of evil” in Moscow // Interfax-religion, December 10, 2014.
12. Orthodox Christians ask to ban the activities of astrologers, to tighten responsibility for gay propaganda and blasphemy // Interfax-religion, August 14, 2015.
13. ↑ 1234
    The “Forty Forties” movement is two years old // “Foma”, June 9, 2015.
14. Are there male and female crosses? What are the differences? Archpriest Oleg Stenyaev is at the microphone. Our guest is Vladimir Aleksandrovich Nosov, curator of the “Forty Forty” movement. // “Radonezh”, July 30, 2014
15. Vladislav Maltsev.
    Khramostroy got stuck in “Torfyanka” // Nezavisimaya Gazeta, July 1, 2015.
16. Patriarch Kirill presented the coordinator of the “Forty Forty” movement with an icon for his 45th birthday // Interfax-religion, February 24, 2015.