On January 2, 1922, the Soviet government issued a decree for the confiscation of museum property, leading to the plundering of Russia's cultural heritage. In the conditions of famine that engulfed the country after the Civil War, the Bolsheviks continued their actions against the Russian Orthodox Church, seeking to destroy it while fearing mass uprisings from the peasants.
Patriarch Tikhon, in August 1921, appealed for help to Orthodox patriarchs and believers, establishing the All-Church Committee for Assistance to the Hungry. The Church actively collected funds for aid, but the Soviet government demanded the dissolution of the committee and the transfer of funds to the state.
On February 19, 1922, Patriarch Tikhon called upon Orthodox Christians to respond to the needs of the starving, emphasizing the terrible plight of the people. In response to his appeal, the Bolsheviks issued a decree for the confiscation of church valuables, leading to a conflict with the Church.
In March 1922, Trotsky headed a secret commission for the confiscation of church valuables. The first victims of this campaign were priests and laypeople from the city of Shuya and the village of Paleh. Protopriest Pavel Svetozarov, born in 1867, was appointed the rector of the Resurrection Cathedral and actively participated in parish life.
Pavel Mikhailovich was arrested several times for his active stance and sermons. In March 1922, a commission for accounting church valuables was created in Shuya, and on March 13, the confiscation began. Parishioners, including Pyotr Ivanovich Yazykov and the maiden Anastasia, tried to protect the church from looting.
During clashes with the militia and Red Army soldiers on March 15, 1922, several laypeople were killed, including Nikolai Malkov and Anastasia. Father Pavel, despite the threats, continued to serve and call the people to prayer. As a result of the violence and shooting, the church valuables were not confiscated that day.
After the events in Shuya, the Bolsheviks intensified repression against the Church, and Lenin issued instructions for the continued confiscation of church valuables with maximum brutality.
