On May 9, just before the International Day of the Family, Our Lady in her Czestochowa Icon arrived in Moscow, in her pilgrimage through the world in defense of life. She came from Minsk in the company of a Belarusian delegation led by Father Paul Serdiuk and Igor Beloborodov, coordinator of the Eastern part of the pilgrimage. Father Maxim Obukhov, for many years President of the biggest Russian national pro-life movement, presided over the official welcoming.
With great reverence, the icon was placed in the Orthodox church of Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary located in Piotrowski Park in the center of Moscow. The icon was brought into the church accompanied by ringing bells and the Orthodox choir praising the Blessed Virgin. The Russian pro-lifers point out that, unfortunately, Russia was the first in the world to legalize abortion, issuing the emancipation decree of Lenin in 1920. Currently, Russia is the first to start the pilgrimage of Our Lady, which is extremely important. For two weeks the icon was displayed in the church, where many people specifically visited her and prayed before the icon.