On November 4, 2026, on National Unity Day, a solemn ceremony of awarding state awards of the Russian Federation took place in the Moscow Kremlin. The event was led by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Today in Russia we celebrate a holiday — National Unity Day. Once again, I cordially congratulate the citizens of Russia on this holiday and our friends. This holiday reflects our great history, our values and our national character. No matter what challenges our country and Russian statehood face, the answer has always been the unity of people, their common and therefore invincible will, and the desire to determine their own destiny on their own," the President said at the beginning of the ceremony.
Vladimir Putin presented the Order of Friendship to Archpriest Vladimir Malchenko, Rector of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Toronto, Canada, Diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, Dean of the Eastern Canadian Church District. The clergyman was awarded a high state award for his great contribution to the preservation and popularization of Russian culture abroad.
"The long-term work of Vladimir Nikolaevich Malchenko, rector of Holy Trinity Cathedral in Toronto, carries an important spiritual and educational mission, helps people, Orthodox parishioners to keep in touch with their historical homeland," the Head of State noted.
Russian Russian Orthodox Church Abroad was founded by bishops, priests, and laypeople who left here in the 1920s, forced and unwillingly," Father Vladimir said. "They left Russia, but they conveyed to the Western world sincere Russian spirituality and fervent love for the Fatherland, for Russia. It is these values — service to the Church and love for the Fatherland — that our mentors have passed on and are passing on to the next generations. Russians live in all cities, in all countries of this world, but we have one Fatherland — Russia, Holy Russia. And may the Lord God bless our beloved Fatherland, may He bless prosperity and well-being forever."
The Head of State also awarded the Pushkin Medal to Archpriest Alexander Romanchuk, Chairman of the Synodal Historical Commission of the Belarusian Exarchate, associate professor at the Minsk Theological Academy, head of the Department of Church History and Ecclesiastical Disciplines at the Minsk Theological Seminary.
Father Alexander thanked Vladimir Putin, noting that he sees the medal "as an award to all the priests of the Belarusian Exarchate of the Moscow Patriarchate, who sincerely and sincerely pray for the people of both Russia and Belarus."
"On this solemn, festive day, of course, I think it makes sense to remember that the multinational, multi-confessional, multi-religious people of Russia and Russia in general, with its high culture, with its sovereign experience, grew up on Orthodoxy, like bread grows on sourdough. That is why today I would like to repeat that call, the eternal Russian call: Holy Russia, keep the Orthodox faith! With these words on our lips, our ancestors defended and built their Fatherland," said Archpriest Alexander Romanenko.
The decree awarding Archpriest Vladimir Malchenko and Archpriest Alexander Romanenko was signed on October 22, 2026 (Decree No. 761).
Also, according to Decree of the President of Russia No. 788 dated October 30, high state awards for their contribution to the preservation and development of spiritual and moral traditions, long-term charitable and social activities were awarded to: the Order of Alexander Nevsky — Metropolitan Feodor of Volgograd and Kamyshinsky; the medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree — Metropolitan Nikon of Astrakhan and Kamyzyaksky and Abbess of the Voznesensky Convent in Dubovka, Volgograd region, Abbess Anna (Yerofeyeva).