Sometimes real life stories are more captivating than any novel, and Archimandrite Isaac, known in the world as the hero of World War I and captain of the Drozdov division Ivan Vasilyevich Vinogradov, is one of those remarkable individuals. He was born on February 25, 1895, and passed away on January 12, 1981. His fate reflects the complex paths of the 20th century.

After graduating from a real school, Ivan Vasilyevich entered a theological academy, but World War I began, and after completing accelerated officer courses, he found himself at the front. Ensign Vinogradov fought on the Romanian front and, when the army began to collapse, voluntarily joined the shock brigade of Colonel Drozdovsky. He proved himself to be a fearless officer and a talented poet, earning respect not only for his bravery but also for the poems that boosted morale and became anthems of volunteerism. Ivan Vasilyevich participated in the Second Kuban Campaign, the advance on Moscow, and the battle in Northern Tavria, was wounded three times, and rose to the position of adjutant of the famous Drozdov regiment.

After the Russian exodus, Captain Vinogradov found himself in exile with other soldiers of the Russian army, first in Gallipoli and then in Bulgaria. In foreign lands, he returned to religious life and took monastic vows in 1927. Just as in the army, Isaac quickly earned the respect of the clergy in the church. In 1928, he became a hieromonk, then an abbot, and an archimandrite. Isaac was the chief spiritual leader of the Russian All-Military Union and miraculously escaped execution after being captured by SMERSH during the Soviet army's takeover of Prague.

Although Isaac avoided execution, he was sent to the Gulag, and after his release, he continued his ministry in the USSR. In the 1950s, he was to be appointed a teacher at the Theological Academy, but the KGB did not allow the former officer of the White Army to live in Moscow. He spent his last years in Yelets, where he actively converted even staunch communists to Christ. Thus, the former Drozdovets defeated his former enemies, but no longer with weapons, but with the Word of God.