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In May 1914, Bishop Anastasy was appointed to the Kholm and Liublin [[cathedra]]. A month and a half later, the First World War began, and, in addition to his diocesan duties, Bishop Anastasy served soldiers on the front, for which he was decorated with the Order of St Vladimir, and, later, the order of St Alexander Nevsky. In 1915, he was forced to evacuate from the front to into the interior, and lived in Moscow at the [[Chudov Monastery]]. In the end of 1915, he was appointed to the Kishinev cathedra and in 1916 elevated to the rank of [[archbishop]]. With the opening of the Romanian front, Archbishop Anastasy once again found himself in the area of military operations.
In August 1917 he left Bessarabia for Moscow to participate in the [[All-Russian Church Council of 1917-1918]]. During voting, his candidacy received 77 votes for the patriarchy; he then participated in the preparation of the enthronment [[enthronement]] of Patriarch St [[Tikhon of Moscow]], which he described in his article "Election and Enthronment of His Holiness Patriarch Tikhon, his personality and work." Archbishop Anastasy was elected a member of the Holy Synod of Bishops.
In October 1918, he departed from Moscow headed for Odessa with the hope of being able to return to the Kishinev cathedra, which was under Romanian occupation. He was not able, however, to return to Bessarabia because of pressure from Romanian authorities to leave the Russian Church and enter into the jurisdiction of the Romanian Patriarchate. He categorically refused schism and was forced to remain in Odessa. With the Bolshevik invasion, he was forced to leave for [[Constantinople]] in 1919. Briefly returning to Russia, he visited Novorosiisk, Rostov, and Novocherkassk, where he made contacts with the Supreme Church Authority of South-East Russia, under the leadership of Metropolitan [[Anthony (Khrapovitsky) of Kiev]]. He then once again left Russia for Constantinople through Odessa.
