Russia – soft, Satan! | nd-aktuell.de

The Supreme Court of Russia issued a ban on the international movement “Satanism” on July 23. The judge Oleg Nefedow agreed to the arguments of the public prosecutor, Ministry of Justice and experts such as Roman Silantjew, who, on behalf of the church and the state, researches “destructive ideologies”, it was satanism an “extremist movement” that is hatred of “traditional religions”, closely connected to nationalism and neo -Nazism.

The ban continues a tendency to declare movements, subcultures or, however defined, to explain identities to extremist organizations with membership and symbolism. What US President Donald Trump made to explain Antifa as a “terrorist organization” in 2020 is increasingly using the Russian state. LGBTQ, the customs of professional criminal “subculture” Aue as well as “anti -Russian separatist movements”, which all non -Russian nationalisms or regional autonomy efforts can be summarized together are now considered “extremist organizations”. The “Child Free ideology” (desired childlessness) did a little less hard: its propaganda has been prohibited since the end of 2024, but at least it is not considered a “extremist organization”.

The case of satanism raises many questions. It remains unclear what falls under the ban. The Russian Orthodox Church, whose head Patriarch Kirill already called for the ban in January, as well as conservative politicians describe all possible disregarding social phenomena as phenomena of satanism.

At the same time, Satanism should specifically mean worship of the devil. Several occult groups confess themselves to Satanism, and many of them categorically reject personalized ideas of “Satan” and its cult veneration. Others worship “Lucifer” as “light charm” and reject his negative picture in Christianity. In addition, there are new religious movements that do not attribute Satanism, but claim to practice witchcraft or “black magic”, which is associated with Satan in the Christian ideas. Neoidnic groups, followers of traditional religions in different regions of Russia, but also Yazidis can be viewed from the perspective of Christianity or Islam as a “devil’s worshiper” without seeing themselves as such.

In 2016, an organization called Church of the Satan of the Russian Federation (ZSRF) registered in Russia. The “Club Castalia” is still acting in Moscow, which deals with the teachings of Aleister Crowley, a British occultist, among other things.

A wave of foundations of “neosatanic” organizations began in the 1960s; Anton Szandor Lavey founded the Church of Satan (COS) in 1966 and wrote “Satanic Bible” three years later. In 1975, COS split off the Temple of Set (TOS) movement under Michael A. Aquino, which means it much more serious with the occult program. Luciferianist and Theistic Satanism, which represent the faith in the existence of “fallen angels” or “gentlemen of darkness”, have also produced a number of organizations, such as Temple of the Black Light (Tobl).

Several satanist organizations are associated with right -wing radical circles, including well -known neo -Nazis such as the Finn Pekka Siitoin or the convicted murderer Hendrik Möbus. Organizations such as tobl and are committed to racism and anti -Semitism; Severe interest in National Socialism was also observed in the leadership of TOS. The best -known organization of right -wing radical satanism is Order of Nine Angles (Ona/O9a). The members of the long time by the British neo -Nazi David Myatt took part in several right -wing radical terrorist actions.

There are also right -wing radical satanists in Russia. As early as the 1990s, the Südkreuz/Moscow Church of Satan had contacts in the right scene. However, some of today’s right -wing satanists, for example the Andrei Borzow known as Warrax, have so far been faithful to state, as well as the attitude towards war against Ukraine. Others are now supposed to fight on the Ukraine side in the “Misanthropic Division”.

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At the same time, the enemy of the alleged “satanic conspiracy” within the elites in the radical rights has played a major role since Covid pandemic at the latest, which is why warnings of “dangerous satanists” often arise from supporters of the conspiracy counts. There were also attempts from the left to complain about satanism. In 1997 a group called Satanic Reds, in 2013, founded progressive activists The Satanic Temple (TST) – an organization that occurs for the right to abortion, for sexual liberation and atheism and visibly caricatures the religious discourse. The TST, which according to its own statements worldwide, was listed in Russia in December last year as an “undesirable organization”.

The prohibition now imposed sees between six and ten years for the organizers of the extremist organizations before and between two and six years for membership. The use of the symbolism and linking the content are also punishable. As the Party Social Democrats of Russia (SDR) writes in its Telegram Canal, music groups, bars, clubs, tattoo salons, jewelry shops as well as relatives of various subcultures or lovers of horror films based on the law can be prosecuted at any time.

The case of Ilja Schurawljew in Uljanowsk, who went through the media at the end of 2024, shows in which direction the legal practice can go. The director of a dialysis center is said to have forced his male colleagues on sexual acts-according to domestic secret service FSB, he is said to have confessed to wanting to “worship” Satan. In addition to three years in prison, Schurawljew was admitted to the register of “terrorists and extremists”.