 An additional five thousand Mennonites formed complete hospital units and transport wounded from the battlefield to Moscow and Ekaterinoslav hospitals.After the Russian Revolution of 1917, Leon Trotsky issued a decree allowing alternative service for religious objectors whose sincerity was determined upon examination.Vladimir Chertkov, a follower of Leo Tolstoy, chaired the "United Council of Religious Fellowships and Groups", which successfully freed 8000 conscientious objectors from military service during the Russian Civil War.