The pedagogical experience got in Perm was useful to Father Leonid in Harbin where he will be one of the most esteemed teacher of Divine Low during 20 years. He spoke about stay in Perm so: " These years are memorable not only because they were the first steps of my church service always remembered in consciousness, but because here I have learned for certain the Russian person, has adjoined with " kondovoj (truly deep Russian soul) Russia ". This was promoted by my participation in religious procession that I took every spring around the diocese with icons of St. Stefan of Perm and St. Sergiy of Radonezh. This religious procession was revealing the national feelings. There were many requests on the road to have religious procession has deviate from a route and not leave without visiting adjoining settlements. Even foreigners plaintively asked that icons be carried by their fields. During all the time of religious processions the big sized icons without any difficulties both in heat and during a rain, day and night were carried on hands of believers " [6.]
But the Lord did not allow Father Leonid to serve in Perm. Revolution has started. Civil war approached.
Since first months of revolution one of the main targets of Bolsheviks became "the counterrevolutionary clergy". Perm in this sense was not an exception. In intolerable position has been put all the clergy of a diocese. One of the first victims of "red terror" became archbishop Andronik brutally tortured on June 20, 1918 [7.] (The Church has done justice to the holy martyr archbishop Andronik of Perm, having ranked him with the Saints in 2000). At the end of December 1918 the army of general A.Pepeljaev has taken Perm from Bolsheviks. Up to the middle of spring of 1919 the further approach of white to the West developed successfully, but since April in military actions there came crisis, and began back movement.
In the summer of 1919 it became clear to priest L. Viktorov, that remain in Perm for him is impossible. At the end of June - the beginning of July he receives blessing to depart to Siberia. After short stay and service in Omsk, in September of 1919 Father Leonid gets over to Tomsk. There he leaves his wife-Matuska Maria Arsenevna in care of acquaintances and became the military priest in the armies subordinated to the Supreme governor admiral A. V.Kolchak.
The military priest - the servant of God of an unusual calling and special destiny. He blesses and inspires Christ loving troops, inspires it to a precept of Church: "Love your enemies, despise enemies of God and fight enemies of Fatherland!". In his service the spiritual feat closely adjoins a military feat. Certainly his rank does not give him the right to participate personally in fighting operations, but he risks his life hourly. He is surrounded by famine and an icy cold, thirst and heat, stray bullets and enemy bombardments. And God do not allow him to be in captivity…
In January — February of 1920 priest L. Viktorov participates in January in legendary "Ice campaign" - a throw of White army under command of general V.O. Kappelja from Nizhneudinsk to Irkutsk with the purpose of rescuing from arrest of admiral Kolchak. After failure of this operation and heroic demise of general Kappelja, Father Leonid, participating the general destiny of the army, has made in a thirty-degree Siberian frost painful 60 verst (unit of length, less then a kilometer) traversing on ice of Lake Baikal. In this campaign he has received heavy frost bite of hands and legs, which had affected him all next years. The frost-bitten fingers refused to hold firmly the pen, and Father Leonid has lost because of it the former calligraphicall handwriting. He almost completely has stopped to write by hand, only inscriptions on photos andshort notes, and up to the end of his life he proceeded to use a typewriter.
[6] Consecration of Nikandr, Bishop of Qiqihar // Heavenly Bread. Harbin, 1946. - # 9, 10. - page 55.
[7] Damaskin (Orlov) monk priest. Martyrs, confessors and devotees of piety of Russian Orthodox Church of XX century: Biographies and materials for them. - Book 2. - Tver: Publishing house " Bulat (Damask steel) ", 1996. - pages 82-112.
[8] The telegram to Father L. Viktorov from March 28, 1921. Family Korostelevyh Archive.