At the Anglo-American cemetery in Fond el Shebbak (Beirut area) On July 10, a memorial service was held for the Russian sailors who died in Lebanese Soil. The memorial service was performed by Archimandrite Philip (Vasiltsev), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarchal See of Antioch.
The service was attended by Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Lebanon A.N. Rudakov, Counselor of the Embassy of the Russian Federation K.G. Melnikov, Assistant Military Attache at the Embassy of the Russian Federation S.A. Zakharenkov, employees of the Russian military and diplomatic missions, representatives of public Lebanese organizations, Russian compatriots.
Before the funeral service, assistant military attache S.A. Zakharenkov lit a memorial candle on the grave of Midshipman Baron Gotgard Bistrom, which was raised from the frigate Oleg, which sank in the 60s of the 19th century in the Baltic Sea. In 1860-61, the legendary frigate cruised off the coast of Lebanon. Among the crew members of the frigate Oleg was Midshipman Baron von Bystrom Gotgard (Getgard) Richardovich, who was buried in a cemetery in Beirut.
Russian graves In October 2025, the grave of Baron von Bistrom was restored at the Anglo-American cemetery, and a cenotaph with the names of Russian sailors buried in Lebanese Soil was installed and consecrated. The consecration was performed by Metropolitan Theodore of Volgograd and Kamyshinsky and Metropolitan Niphon of Philippopolis, co-served by Archimandrite Philip (Vasiltsev), representative of the Russian Orthodox Church. The initiative to restore the burial site and install the cenotaph belonged to the staff of the Russian military mission and the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Lebanon.