Latest news with #SergeiTorop
First Post
08-07-2025
- First Post
"Jesus of Siberia" Sergei Torop Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison Firstpost America
"Jesus of Siberia" Sergei Torop Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison | Firstpost America | N18G "Jesus of Siberia" Sergei Torop Sentenced to 12 Years in Prison | Firstpost America | N18G A Russian cult leader who claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ has been sentenced to 12 years in a maximum-security prison. Sergei Torop, known to followers as "Vissarion," founded the Church of the Last Testament in Siberia in 1991 and attracted thousands to his remote commune. Russian authorities say Torop and two aides used psychological manipulation to control followers, causing serious mental and physical harm and defrauding them of money. The court also ordered over $570,000 in compensation to victims. The trio was arrested in a dramatic 2020 raid by Russian security forces. All three denied wrongdoing. See More
The Independent
06-07-2025
- The Independent
Jesus of Siberia: The traffic cop turned cult leader who claimed to be the son of god — and will now spend 12 years in jail
Deep in a remote corner of Siberia, a group of masked men swarmed the City of the Sun, a deeply religious settlement in the Krasnoyarsk region. The Russian security forces had arrived in September 2020 to arrest the so-called Jesus of Siberia, a former traffic policeman known as 'Vissarion' who some viewed as the reincarnation of Christ. The religious leader, whose real name is Sergei Torop, was accused of extorting money and causing physical and psychological harm to his many of followers, some 10,000 worldwide. On Monday, nearly five years later, Torop's stint as a cult leader came to an end when he was convicted in a Siberian court and sentenced to 12 years in a maximum-security prison camp, along with two other sect leaders, Vladimir Vedernikov and Vadim Redkin. The 64-year-old bearded and long-haired mystic, who led the Church of the Last Testament, claimed that he had been 'reborn' to convey god's word to the world. Many of his devotees flocked to the settlement known as 'Abode of Dawn' or 'Sun City', soaking in Torop's teachings of reincarnation, veganism, and harmonious human relations. "It's all very complicated," he explained to a reporter for The Guardian in 2002."But to keep things simple, yes, I am Jesus Christ. I am not god. And it is a mistake to see Jesus as god. But I am the living word of God the Father. Everything that god wants to say, he says through me." Torop told his followers not to eat meat, smoke, drink alcohol or swear - and to stop using money. They would often hold prayers in his honour, looking up to his large hilltop residence in the City of the Sun. But it was a darker, hidden side to life in Vissarion's commune that led to his arrest. His apparent re-birth was followed by decades of psychological manipulation of his followers, exploiting them for labour and money from 1991 to 2020. Torop exerted control over his followers, prosecutors said, inflicting 'moral harm' on 16 people, leaving six with 'serious health problems'. 'There were these ridiculous situations when adults and children died because they didn't receive medical assistance,' Elena Melnikova, one of at least eight people who testified against Vissarion and his lieutenants in the year after his arrest, told the BBC. An anti-medical commandment was one of a number of regulations imposed by Vissarion which proved to be harmful to his followers. 'Know thyself. From now on, the flesh must heal itself. In most cases, illness is a punishment for the inability to keep one's flesh in harmony with nature,' Ms Melnikova said, recalling his teachings. Community leaders would beg for money for the community, she said. In some cases, people donated all of their funds, admitted Alexander Staroveroc, who acts as a press secretary for the City of the Sun. Along with Vedernikov and Redkin - jailed for 11 and 12 years respectively - Torop denied all wrongdoing, and it is unclear whether they will appeal their sentences. After their conviction, the court also awarded 45 million rubles (£417,000) in damages to the victims. Torop's journey as a spiritual leader began when he was 29 in 1990, the year he claimed he was reborn as Vissarion, claiming to be a returned Jesus Christ. Born in 1971 in the city of Krasnodar, which was then the Soviet Union, Torop's life until his turn to religion was a tale of toil. Stints in the Red Army, on building sites, in factories, and as a traffic policeman, ultimately led to bitter disappointment when he was made redundant from his latest role after five years of service. As he embarked on a spiritual path following his redundancy, Torop began drawing from elements of various religions: Russian Orthodox Church, Buddhism, and apocalypticism. He embraced veganism and began to adopt collectivist views and ecological values. It would be just two years before he founded the Church of the Last Testament in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia in just months before the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. The end of the world, Torop told his early followers, was imminent. Only those who observed his strict teachings would be saved. "He radiates incredible love," 57-year-old Hermann told The Guardian. "I met Vissarion last August. He told me we had to follow two laws. It was like an electric shock, like bells ringing." Denis, a 21-year-old Australian, said: "No doubt about it, mate. Definitely the Son of God." An entire new calendar was adopted based around moments in Vissarion's life: Christmas was replaced by a feast day on Vissarion's birthday, 14 January, while another feast day on August 18 was the largest, and originated from his first sermon in 1991. But following decades of worship of a self-professed messiah, his thousands of followers remaining in the remote corner of SIberia now live without their spiritual teacher. He is not due to be released until he is 76 years old.
Newsweek
02-07-2025
- Newsweek
Man Claiming To Be Jesus Christ Is Sent To Russian Prison Camp
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A religious sect leader who claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ has been sentenced to 12 years in a Russian prison camp. A court in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk sentenced Sergei Torop, a former traffic officer who called himself "Vissarion," for harming the mental and physical health of his followers. Two of his associates also received lengthy sentences. All three denied charges against them. This image from August 18, 2009 shows Russian sect leader Sergei Torop known as "Vissarion", in the remote village of Petropavlovka, Krasnoyarsk region. This image from August 18, 2009 shows Russian sect leader Sergei Torop known as "Vissarion", in the remote village of Petropavlovka, Krasnoyarsk It Matters Torop founded the Church of the Last Testament in 1991 and his group has been the subject of media scrutiny in Russia for years, during which he has attracted thousands of followers. His arrest and sentencing to a tough prison camp will likely mark the end of a sect which had lasted for more than three decades. What To Know Torop, 64, founded his movement after what he described as a divine revelation and it grew in popularity during the post-Soviet ideological vacuum of the 1990s. A regular fixture in the Russian media, thousands visited him at remote settlements in Siberia over the years and there was a core group of about 300 living in isolation on a hill they called the Abode of Dawn. He imposed strict rules on his followers, prohibiting them from consuming meat, alcohol, or tobacco, and discouraging the use of money. Followers of Torop's community, including those who came from other regions, lived in several villages in the Kuragan and Karatuz districts of the Krasnoyarsk region. Torop and two other of his sect's leaders, Vladimir Vedernikov and Vadim Redkin, were arrested in 2020 in a helicopter raid that involved Russia's main intelligence service, the FSB. Accused of creating a religious organization that violated the civil rights of its members and caused bodily harm, a criminal case established how between 1991 and 2020 Torop and his associates had used "psychological violence" against followers whom they exploited for money and labor. On Monday, the Zheleznodorozhny District Court in Novosibirsk handed down sentences against the trio for causing "moral harm" to 16 people, leaving six with "serious health problems" and one with "moderate" harm, according to a statement by the regional prosecutor's office. There was also a theft of funds of more than 5 million rubles ($63,000) from the Krasnoyarsk region's budget, the statement added. What People Are Saying Russian prosecutor's office said in a statement: "Between 1991 and worked to subordinate other people to his power, by using psychological violence against them, causing harm to their health." What Happens Next The court awarded 45 million rubles ($572,000) in damages to the victims and state prosecutors. The men denied the charges and Torop and Vedernikov got a 12-year sentence while Redkin received 11 years, although it is not clear if they will appeal.
Fox News
01-07-2025
- Fox News
'Siberian Jesus' sentenced to Russian prison after harming followers in bizarre cult
A Siberian cult leader who claims to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ was sentenced to 12 years in a Russian prison camp after his conviction for physically and financially harming his followers. Sergei Torop, a former traffic policeman known to his followers as "Vissarion," meaning "he who gives new life," and two aides used psychological pressure to extract money from his followers and cause serious harm to their mental and physical health, Reuters reported. Torop, 64, set up the Church of the Last Testament in a remote part of Siberia's Krasnoyarsk region in 1991, the year the Soviet Union broke up. He was one of three men convicted Monday in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk. Torop and Vladimir Vedernikov were sentenced to 12 years, and Vadim Redkin was sentenced to 11 years in a maximum-security prison camp. All three men were arrested in 2020 in a helicopter raid that involved the FSB security service, the successor agency to the Soviet KGB. A bearded self-styled mystic with long hair, Torop claimed to have been "reborn" to convey the word of God. He attracted thousands of followers, some of whom flocked to live in a settlement known as the "Abode of Dawn" or "Sun City" at a time when Russia was battling poverty and lawlessness, according to Reuters. He told his followers not to eat meat, smoke, drink alcohol or swear and to stop using money. Investigators said the men brought "moral harm" to 16 people, damage to the physical health of six people and moderate damage to another person's health. Vedernikov had also been accused of committing fraud, the RIA state news agency reported.
Reuters
30-06-2025
- Reuters
Russia jails 'Jesus of Siberia' sect leader for 12 years for harming followers
June 30 (Reuters) - A Russian sect leader who claimed he was Jesus Christ reincarnated was sentenced to 12 years in a prison camp on Monday after being convicted of harming his followers' health and financial affairs. Sergei Torop, a former traffic policeman known to his followers as 'Vissarion', set up the Church of the Last Testament in a remote but picturesque part of Siberia's Krasnoyarsk region in 1991, the year the Soviet Union broke up. A bearded self-styled mystic with long hair, he claimed to have been "reborn" to convey the word of God and attracted thousands of followers, some of whom flocked to live in a settlement known as the "Abode of Dawn" or "Sun City", at a time when Russia was battling poverty and lawlessness. Torop, 64, told his followers, who regularly intoned prayers in his honour as they looked up to his large hilltop residence, not to eat meat, not to smoke, not to drink alcohol or swear, and to stop using money. But the Investigative Committee, Russia's equivalent of the U.S. FBI, accused Torop and two aides of using psychological pressure to extract money from his followers and of causing serious harm to their mental and physical health. In a statement on Monday, a court in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk said it had convicted the three men, sentencing Torop and Vladimir Vedernikov to 12 years and Vadim Redkin to 11 years in a maximum-security prison camp. They were also ordered to pay 40 million roubles ($511,500) to compensate their victims for "moral damage". All three denied wrongdoing. Torop and the two aides were arrested in a security forces raid by helicopter in 2020 that involved the FSB security service, the successor agency to the Soviet KGB. According to the RIA state news agency, investigators said the men had caused "moral harm" to 16 people, serious damage to the physical health of six people, and moderate damage to another person's health. Vedernikov, one of the aides, had also been accused of committing fraud, RIA said. In a 2017 BBC documentary, filmmaker Simon Reeve interviewed Torop, who denied any wrongdoing. The film showed how school girls whose parents were his followers were being educated to be what a local teacher called "future brides for worthy men." ($1 = 78.1955 roubles)
