"Who comes to us with the sword will perish by the sword" – a saying attributed to Alexander Nevsky, although in reality, it (like many elements of the Moscow ideology of its own greatness and victory) is a paraphrased version of a Biblical quote, from the teachings of Jesus Christ: "Put your sword back in its place, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword." These words are highlighted on one of the pages of the 1922 edition of the book The New Testament of Our Lord Jesus Christ, published by the British and Foreign Bible Society in Berlin, which was kept by Arseniy Chumak, a participant in the Second World War from Volhynia.
Since 1994, this unique artifact has become an important part of the museum’s collection. It is symbolic that this authentic relic was displayed in the Museum for a long time as a warning that war should never again occur on Ukrainian land. This is especially relevant today, when Ukrainians, in their confrontation with Russian occupiers, are defending the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and inviolability of their homeland, just as they did 80 years ago, fighting for the future – both their own and that of all Europe.
From February 1944, Arseniy Chumak, as part of the 1138th Infantry Regiment of the 338th Infantry Division of the 5th Army of the 3rd Belarusian Front, served as a private and fought across the territories of Ukraine, Belarus, and East Prussia. He was awarded the "For Courage" medal and the 3rd Class Order of Glory. He received a severe wound, which led to the amputation of his right leg. Fate spared him. Perhaps the powerful talisman for him was the New Testament, which accompanied him from the front lines, from his native Volhynia to East Prussia.
After prolonged treatment, Arseniy returned home, where his mother, wife, and three sons were waiting for him. However, his post-war life was not easy. Despite being a first-class invalid, he had to work hard. He was one among millions of people marginalized by the Kremlin’s victorious farce, an extra person in the post-war looking-glass world, when those who had suffered war injuries in the 1940s and 1950s were supposed to disappear from view, so as not to remind the "happy and grateful Soviet people" of the painful reality.
This is another historical lesson we must learn now – the extraordinary social responsibility we have to the people who are currently fighting for our right to life and the existence of the Ukrainian nation.