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- The Occult attraction: What is the threat to the head of the Shambhala Ashram detained in Argentina?
The Occult attraction: What is the threat to the head of the Shambhala Ashram detained in Argentina?
Konstantin Rudnev, the founder of the Ashram of Shambhala sect, who was detained in Argentina on suspicion of human trafficking, could face up to 15 years in prison under local law, experts say. Also, according to them, if the Russian law enforcement authorities deem it necessary, he can be extradited to the Russian Federation for punishment. But he has already served time in his homeland. This may affect the final decision on his expulsion. The story of how the leader of a religious sect was arrested in Argentina and how the "Shambhala Ashram" is set up inside is in the Izvestia article.
What was Rudnev "famous for"?
In Argentina, law enforcement officers detained Konstantin Rudnev, the founder and spiritual leader of the Ashram of Shambhala, a religious sect banned in Russia, or the "alien from Sirius," as he called himself. He is suspected of human trafficking. This was reported by foreign media with reference to the country's police.
According to the Argentine security forces, Rudnev and 13 other people, 12 of whom are Russians, were detained at the airports of San Carlos de Bariloche and Buenos Aires. At the same time, women show signs of exhaustion and malaise.
The group found 131 narcotic pills, 12 mobile phones, three computers, $14,000, 1 million pesos, passports of different countries and credit cards in their luggage. They are currently in custody.
During the detention, the leader of the Shambhala Ashram tried to commit suicide, but he was stopped.
The group came to the attention of law enforcement officers after a 22-year-old Russian woman contacted Dr. Ramon Carrillo's hospital. She came to learn about the procedures of hospitalization and childbirth.
The doctors and nurses noticed the two women accompanying her: they did not allow her to talk or tell the details of her condition. This behavior, as well as the nervousness shown by the companions when asked about their relationship with the girl and where she lives, raised suspicions about a possible case of human trafficking. After that, the hospital doctor decided to file a complaint with the court — the girl was monitored.
Investigators have established that a sect cell operated in San Carlos de Bariloche, which allegedly conducted yoga courses. During the search, Rudnev's documents were found there.
The Sect of Konstantin Rudnev
The Russian embassy in Argentina told Izvestia that they were aware of the detention of people allegedly with Russian citizenship.
"They have not yet applied for consular assistance," they said.
Konstantin Rudnev, a native of Novosibirsk, founded the sect in 1989. The organization had branches in at least 20 regions of the country, including Novosibirsk and Moscow. Then, according to the former sectarians, the organization's apartments were also in Georgia and Montenegro.
The sect, one of its former adherents reminded Izvestia, promoted a mixture of eastern religions, esotericism, yoga and shamanism.
In 1999, the Novosibirsk Region Prosecutor's office opened a criminal case against Rudnev under the article on organizing an association that encroaches on the personality and rights of citizens. Then law enforcement officers established that the sect was engaged in extortion, child abuse and sexual violence. But the head of the sect escaped from the investigation abroad, and the investigation into the case was suspended.
In the following years, investigators repeatedly tried to detain Rudnev, but the followers of the Ashram Shambhala refused to testify against him.
Police officers conduct a search in the cottages of the leader of the religious organization "Ashram of Shambhala", 2008
In the fall of 2010, Konstantin Rudnev was detained. He was charged with four criminal counts at once — the creation of an association whose activities involve violence, rape, indecent assault and drugs. The court sent the "alien from Sirius" to jail. The sect leader denied the guilt at the time.
Investigators found cottages, car parks and premium-class foreign cars in his property, which were purchased with money earned from holding seminars, selling literature, musical works and religious objects. All this property was seized.
In February 2013, the Novosibirsk District Court sentenced Rudnev to 11 years in a high-security penal colony and a fine of 100,000 rubles. The association "Ashram of Shambhala" was banned in Russia. In October 2021, Rudnev was released and left Russia. In 2024, traces of the sect's activities were seen in Montenegro. There, local law enforcement agencies put Rudnev on the wanted list, but he managed to escape.
How the sect works inside
One of the former members of the Shambhala Ashram told Izvestia that she first encountered the sect in Moscow in 2006, and left it only 18 years later.
— I was involved in organizing weddings, corporate parties and other events, and one day I invited an oriental dance group to perform. Later it turned out that all the participants were members of the Shambhala Ashram sect," she shared.
Then, according to her, the woman was invited to a trial seminar. There, people were put into a trance state, instilled the need to install "energy protection" in order to improve their lives, and urged to refuse to communicate with their parents and friends, said an ex-member of the sect. According to her, the seminars also provided "knowledge about health and proper nutrition."
After that, the Izvestia interlocutor attended such events for six years, and then began to help with their implementation herself.
— Every year I became more and more distant from my family and friends. Therefore, over time, my connection with the outside world stopped," she noted.
The woman noted that the sect was recruited through yoga or dance studios and offered to "provide sacred spiritual knowledge." Now, according to her, the methods have changed.
"Now women are recruited through social media: they are promised financial well—being, happiness and harmony in their personal lives after undergoing special practices," she added. — They tell us, for example: "It's written in your family that you're rich, happy, and should live abroad. We can help you come to that."
The ex-member of the sect emphasized that they select mostly young people with attractive appearance and solvent.
— In the sect, everyone is forced to intense physical activity, work, writing denunciations for bad behavior against other members of the sect, various "spiritual practices", which include participation in group orgies, — she said.
Another ex-member of the sect, Svetlana, told Izvestia that once inside, a person completely loses their sense of reality. People in the sect are constantly preoccupied with something, and they don't have time to think and analyze what is happening.
Both women also noted that every action of the sectarians requires a report and coordination with their elders. According to Svetlana, the participants tried to create a sense of being chosen, thus putting pressure on their self-esteem.
Ex-participant of the "Ashram of Shambhala"
Rudnev was engaged in slavery, turned sect members into sex slaves, humiliated them, destroyed them morally and mutilated them, religious scholar and sectologist Alexander Dvorkin told Izvestia. According to him, the leader of the Shambhala Ashram does not give the impression of a charismatic person, nevertheless he manages to attract people.
"A cruel, merciless and completely sociopathic man, for whom the main thing is only the enjoyment of power, even money is not so important,— he described Rudnev.
The mechanism of entry into the sect is almost always the same, said Alexander Dvorkin. According to him, this is recruitment through deception, which consists in the promise of improving the financial situation, obtaining sacred knowledge and supernatural abilities. After that, the person is placed in a tightly controlled environment.
Through pressure and influence on the sexual sphere, a person is quickly adapted and made convenient and profitable for the sect, the expert noted.
What threatens the leader of the sect
According to the legislation of Argentina, human trafficking is punishable by imprisonment for 15 years, Albert Khaleyan, lawyer of the Matveenko and Partners Bar Association, reminded Izvestia. Additional charges, such as exploiting people or creating a criminal community, could tighten sanctions, he added.
According to the expert, Argentina has traditionally been slow to extradite suspects, especially if the request is accompanied by a political context.
— Extradition will require confirmation from Russia of specific episodes recognized as criminal in both countries. Considering that the sect is banned in Russia, but not in Argentina, the parties will have a difficult legal discussion about the qualification of their actions," Albert Haleyan added.
Also, according to him, the decision on extradition will depend not only on legal arguments, but also on Russia's position in the dialogue with Argentina. According to the lawyer, if the Russian side provides irrefutable evidence of Rudnev's guilt, the chances of extradition will increase.
The extradition of a Russian who has committed a crime in another country is possible if this act is recognized as a crime in that state and if the person has not been convicted of it before in his homeland, said lawyer Vitaly Ulianenko.
"If Russian law enforcement agencies consider Rudnev's actions to be a crime, the Russian Federation may send a request for his extradition to a foreign state on the basis of an international agreement with Argentina," Vitaly Ulyanenko added. — But in Russia, the leader of the sect has already served his sentence, and therefore law enforcement agencies may not insist on his extradition.
Wherever the trial takes place, the key principle remains the inadmissibility of impunity, so that the sect members are recognized as victims in the case and receive moral compensation, and the perpetrator is responsible for what he has done, Albert Khaleyan concluded.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
