Until the early 20th century, Russia had a powerful mystic and occult tradition. The most famous of them is undeniably ‘mad monk’ Gregory Rasputin, who became a favourite of Nicholas and the Empress Alexandra in 1905 after he healed Prince Alexis of haemophilia by simply laying his hands on the boy. Before Rasputin was murdered, he predicted the fall of the Russian aristocracy if he was killed. Once the Soviet Union collapsed, the mystics are back in business.
Sergei Torop: Jesus of Siberia
Sergei Torop is a 41-year-old former traffic cop and factory worker from Krasnodar in southern Russia. He moved to Siberia as a youth, experienced a religious awakening sometime in the early 1990s. Now he claims to be Jesus Christ himself, returned to the earth and dresses in a velvet crimson robe, long brown hair framing a beatific smile. His followers call him Vissarion Christ, the Messiah of Siberia and the Teacher. Torop has thousands of disciples, who are convinced that he is the reincarnation of Jesus of Nazareth, who has come back to Earth to save the world. His followers practice arcane rituals, laws, symbols, prayers, hymns and a new calendar. A strict code of conduct is enforced; no vices are permitted.
The Oprichniki : The Oprichniki, were a group of assassins used by the notorious Tsar Ivan the Terrible to eliminate his enemies in 16th-century Russia. They always dressed all in black and rode only black horses, and gained notoriety for their brutal attack on the city of Novgorod, which the Tsar had suspected of wanting to secede to Poland, in 1570. The modern-day Oprichniki live a few hours from Moscow in the village of Koscsheyevo in 16th century conditions — outside toilets, water drawn from wells. The current Oprichiniki consists of three families who moved to the area from Russia’s Far East a few years ago.
Russia Resurrecting: This cult believes Russian President Vladimir Putin as the reincarnation of the Apostle Paul. Its base is near Nizhny Novgorod. Putin’s portrait hangs next to Orthodox icons in the church, and its followers believe the former KGB man was born to bring light to those who have gone astray. Its patron saint is the Mother of God, but Mother Photinia, the head of the affiliation has also included some alternative members into the Orthodox tradition. Opponents of the sect say Mother Photinia was involved in fraud in the 1990s and was jailed.