MW Bro. Bogdanov, G.M. of Russian freemasonry to run for Olympic city mayor

26.03.2009

Russia’s top mason and former presidential candidate, Andrei Bogdanov, is running in the Sochi mayor elections this spring. He is the 19th candidate seeking to get the top position in the Russian resort city that is hosting the 2014 Winter Olympic Games. On Wednesday 25 March, Bogdanov arrived in Sochi, eyed by numerous businessmen ahead of the Olympics, to file his documents at the elections committee, Russian news agencies said.

He refused to comment on his chances to win the elections, but said he had a program developed to prepare Sochi for the Olympic Games. He also announced he was going to meet the voters and discuss their problems.

Andrei Bogdanov is known for heading Russia’s largest Masonic Grand Lodge.

“I am proud to be in and to head the Grand Lodge of Russia, whose members were Pushkin, Suvorov, and Kutuzov,” he said in one of his interviews.

However he is better known as the leader of the Democratic Party of Russia, that won 1.3 percent at the 2008 presidential elections in Russia.

Source: Mosnews

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Freemasonry in Russia has a really rich history. It is the heritage of Russia, and world Masonry, as well. 

Since the start of the Russian Masonry during the reign of Peter the Great and up to now, Russian Masons have made valuable contributions to Russian and world culture, the spiritual evolution of mankind, the perception of a Human's place on the Earth under the God, the growth and development, the maturing of the society. The spiritual ideals of Noble and Ethical society, Freedom, Brotherhood, Equality, Faith, - have always been the ideals of our Brethren. Russian Masonry has always been trying to "take a good man and make him better", to make Masons - the men possessing a strong belief in God, of high moral values. 

And all the history of Russian Masonry, the list of Russian Masons prove, that it has succeeded in this. The names of I. Yelagin, A. Suvorov, N. Novikov, A. Pushkin, M. Garder, and others, are the best proof. During the times of Catherine II the Great, Paul I, Alexander I, Nikolas I, Alexander II, Alexander III, Nikolas II, our Brethren used to be the basis of Russian elite and had introduced a lot necessary changes into the Russian Society, propagated the ideals of humanitarianism, contributed to developing new Laws, and so on. 

Continuously, during all its history, Russian Masonry has evolved as a part of the Whole - the Freemasonry. Deep and friendly relations with our Brethren from Great Britain, France, Germany, Sweden, and other countries have always been characteristic of Russian Masons. Visiting our meetings, exchanging new ideas and literature, helping in the organization of new Lodges, foreign Brethren took part in the activities of the Russian Masonry. Of course, Russian Brethren have visited the meetings of European and American Lodges, took part in Masonic activities since the Willhelmsbad Convention up to the present time. And now, our foreign Brethren take part in the meetings of our Lodges, when staying in Russia. We are always delighted to see them. 

After the more than 70-years' recess, or "sleeping" period that was due to the laws of our not long ago closed society, prohibiting the very existence of any group, the aims of which were not precisely the same as the aims of governing party, the Russian Fremasonry has been revived. Actually, our history has not interrupted, and all this time, Russian Masonry has been keeping and developing its ideas, its principles and traditions, in other countries. Feeling deep gratitude towards our Brthren like Mikhail Vassilyevitch Garder, reading the history and the records of the meeting of Russian Lodges in France, we without a shadow of doubt say, that the Russian Masonry of today is the genuine offsping and descendant of the Russian Masonry of the times of A. Pushkin and A. Suvorov. The Fraternity not only has revived here, but it constantly grows and develops. 

The Grand Lodge of Russia was constituted by the Grand Loge Nationale Francaise on June, 24, 1995. We have been recognized now by 70 Grand Lodges, including:

The United Grand Lodge of England
The Grand Mother Lodge of Scotland
The Grand Lodge of Ireland
The United Grand Lodge of Germany
The National Grand Lodge of France 
The Grand Lodge of New York 
The Grand Lodge of Austria
The Grand East of the Netherlands

There are English- speaking Lodges in Russia, particularly, in Moscow, and that we would be delighted to see you at their meetings. If you wish to go on with your Masonic work and participate in Lodge meetings while visiting Russia, our Lodges are always open for you. 

Source: Grand Lodge of Russia