On February 8, 2024, a solemn act dedicated to the professional holiday of the Russian diplomatic service — the Day of the Diplomatic Worker, celebrated on February 10, was held at the compound of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jaffa.
The head of the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Jerusalem, Archimandrite Vassian (Zmeev), in the co-service of Archpriest Nikolai Zhdanov, the clerk of the metochion, and Hieromonk Tikhon (Proyaev), the cleric of the Mission, performed a requiem mass for all deceased employees of the diplomatic service, "for the glory of the Fatherland who worked hard." According to tradition, the memorial service was held at the grave of the first Vice-Consul of the Russian Empire, Vladimir Nikolaevich Timofeev, who was buried behind the altar of the temple in the courtyard in Jaffa, the RDM website reports.
At the end of the litiya, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the State of Israel, A.D. Viktorov, delivered a speech to the audience. Then the participants of the ceremony laid wreaths and flowers on the grave.