The Director of H.I.H.’s Chancellery, A. N. Zakatov, Travels to Ukraine

On January 21-22, Alexander Nikolaevich Zakatov, the Director of the Chancellery of Her Imperial Highness, Grand Duchess Maria Wladimirovna, traveled to Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, on Chancellery business.

On January 21, A. N. Zakatov and V. V. Pil’kevich, the Director of the Kiev Fund of the Museum of the History of the Imperial Dynasty, met with Igor Lobortas, the Head of the Classic Jewelry House “Lobortas,” to discuss several joint initiatives aimed at addressing social problems and the rebirth of cultural traditions.

On the morning of January 22, the Director of H.I.H.’s Chancellery and representatives of the legitimist movement in Ukraine attended the Divine Liturgy at Kiev’s Monastery of the Entrance of the Mother of God into the Temple. After the services, the Director of H.I.H.’s Chancellery read aloud the decrees from the Head of the Russian Imperial House, H.I.H. Grand Duchess Maria Wladimirovna, awarding orders of knighthood to Archimandrite Damian (Davydov), abbot of the monastery, Archimandrite Vassian, Archimandrite Erazm, and Hierodeacon Platon. A. N. Zakatov also read the announcement of the appointment of Vladislav Valerievich Pil’kevich to H.I.H.’s Chancellery as an advisor and liaison to the Chancellery for relations with social organizations and government institutions of Ukraine and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea (which is part of Ukraine).

After these announcements, Abbot Damian invited the Director of H.I.H. Chancellery and those with him to lunch and tea with the brothers of the monastery, during which A. N. Zakatov had productive conversations with the clergy, with V. V. Pil’kevich; with the organizers and participants in last year’s official visit of H.I.H. to Ukraine, O. V. Iarosh’ and P. A. Tkachuk; and with the Chairman of the Kiev Branch of the Russian Imperial Union-Order, A. N. Mashkin. The Director of H.I.H.’s Chancellery at that time recommended the formation of a Ukrainian national association of knights of the dynastic orders of the Russian Imperial House.

On the evening of January 22, the Director of H.I.H.’s Chancellery, A. N. Zakatov, returned to Moscow.