Vissarion and his followers believe the end of the world is coming and their Siberian community is the ark of salvation. Such sects have proliferated in Russia’s wilderness.

A man known as Vissarion has developed a large following in Siberia. Siberia, RUSSIA, June 23, 2008— -- "Two white robed men were standing there among them and said, 'Men of Galilee, why are ...

Vissarion, who has proclaimed himself a new Christ, leads a mass prayer in the village of Petropavlovka, about 580 km (360 miles) southeast of the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk August 17, 2007.

"Vissarion the Teacher," or "Jesus of Siberia," Russian ex-traffic cop Sergei Torop meets followers in the remote village of Petropavlovka, in Russia's Siberia region, August 18, 2009.

Vissarion's religion is based on Russian Orthodoxy but mixes in elements of Buddhism, collectivism, and environmental values. 6 Vissarionites worship at a mass prayer in 2007.

Vissarion, who normally dons a long white cloak and sports long hair and a beard, lives with his followers in Petropavlovka, or what he calls his “Siberian utopia,” The Guardian reported.

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 ...

Siberian cult leader Sergei Torop, who claimed to be Jesus reincarnated, was sentenced to 12 years in prison for harming followers physically and financially.

The City of the Sun is home to a mysterious Russian cult known as the Church of the Last Testament. Its leader Vissarion used to be a traffic cop but now believes he is the second coming of Jesus ...

Vissarion Chakvetadze’s career is a shining example of the grit, nonstop learning, and nimbleness needed to thrive as a senior software engineer. As the tech world keeps spinning, ...

Except perhaps for dedicated Russophiles, composer Vissarion Shebalin will most likely be a welcome new discovery. He was a student of Nikolay Myaskovsky, highly respected by Prokofiev and a close ...