On June 9, 2016, Bishop Arseny of Yurev consecrated a memorial cross in honor of Private Vsevolod Petrov, who died in Afghan captivity, on the grounds of the Intercession Cathedral.

Vsevolod Petrov, originally from Novgorod, was a first-year student at the history faculty when he was drafted into the army and sent to Afghanistan in 1984. There, he went missing. Only in 2016 did retired Major General Vladimir Prytkov reveal that Vsevolod had been captured by the Mujahideen, where he was tortured and pressured to convert to Islam. Vsevolod refused, and for this, the gang leader publicly executed him.

Many people attended the ceremony to install the memorial cross, including Vsevolod's mother, Nelly Konstantinovna, representatives of the Novgorod regional government, the administration of Veliky Novgorod, and those who assisted in the installation of the cross. Bishop Arseny addressed the gathered crowd with a pastoral message, emphasizing that today's prayer for Vsevolod, after more than 30 years, restores justice. He compared Vsevolod's feat to that of the righteous Prince Mikhail of Chernigov, who was tortured on the orders of Batu Khan in 1246 for refusing to bow to a statue of Genghis Khan. The bishop noted that the feats of Vsevolod Petrov, Yevgeny Rodionov, and other warriors in hotspots testify that faith and loyalty to one's homeland, nurtured by Orthodox faith, have not disappeared. "This feat shows that loyalty to God and the Fatherland remains a priority in the army and society, and this gives us hope for a bright future and the revival of our Fatherland," the bishop remarked.

After the solemn speeches, Bishop Arseny conducted a memorial service for warrior Vsevolod Petrov and consecrated the memorial cross. The ceremony concluded with a salute in memory of Vsevolod Petrov, accompanied by the sounds of the national anthem of the Russian Federation.