We are all born doomed, as the sages say. We all suck the breast of Death.

Everyone bows before this silent monarch. The Lady of the Shadows just moves her finger and the feather, circling, falls to the ground. There is no logic in her song. The worthy leave young. The scoundrels are thriving. She is the queen of the rulers of chaos. Her breath chills the soul.

We found a city that was once founded to worship her and is so old that it has forgotten its purpose. The gloomy greatness of his goddess faded, forgotten by all except those overshadowed by her shadow. But now Archa was in more immediate danger: the ghost of the past was trying to seep into the present through the walls of the castle that rose above the city. And so the Black Squad went there, to that strange city lying outside the borders of the Lady’s empire... True, all this began much earlier. We were still far away then. And only two of our old friends and a handful of people we will meet later have already come face to face with the shadow.

Children's heads, like marmots, poked out of the grass. The children stared at the approaching soldiers.

- There are at least a thousand of them! – the boy whispered.

The column seemed to have no end. The dust raised by it went up like a shroud, covering the distant hill. The creaking and clanging of armor became louder.

The day turned out to be hot, the children were all wet. Their thoughts involuntarily rushed to the river with a quiet creek that gurgled nearby. But the children were sent to watch the road. There were rumors that the Lady had decided to suppress the resurgent insurgency in the province of Birka.

And now her soldiers are already here. Getting closer and closer. Severe, formidable warriors. Veterans. Judging by their age, they could well have participated six years ago in the bloody defeat of the uprising, which claimed a quarter of a million lives, including the life of the father of the children watching the column.

- How do you know? – To a girl appearance the soldier clearly did not say anything.

The boy pointed towards a stocky, bear-like rider on a powerful roan horse. The rider's head shone silver. His posture showed him to be a man accustomed to command.

- His name is Captain. Next to him - a small one, all black - is probably a sorcerer nicknamed One-Eyed. Did you see what kind of hat he has? It can't be confused with anything. And the two behind them must be Ilmo and the Lieutenant.

- Wow! Are there any of the Taken too? – The girl stood up so she could see better. -Where are these famous sorcerers?

The girl was younger. The boy, at ten years old, already considered himself a soldier of the White Rose. He tugged at his sister's hand.

- Fool! Do you want them to notice you?

– And if they notice, what’s wrong with that?

The boy grinned. The stupid girl believed Uncle Chist's statement that the enemy did not touch children. The boy despised his uncle. For cowardice.

All the rebels who swore allegiance to the White Rose are simply pathetic cowards. They only pretend to fight the Mistress. The most they dared was to ambush and capture a random courier. At least you can't deny the enemy courage.

The children saw everything they needed to see. The boy touched his sister’s hand:

They ran, crouching in the grass, towards the trees that grew along the river bank. A thick shadow lay at their feet. The kids looked up and were stunned. Three horsemen looked down at them. Not even a mouse could slip past them unnoticed.

- Goblin! - the boy gasped.

- At your service, my young friend! – the middle of the trio, a short man with a frog’s face, grinned.

The boy was numb with horror, but did not lose his thoughts.

- Run! - he shouted.

If at least my sister manages to escape...

The goblin waved his hand, making a circle in the air. His fingertips began to glow with pale pink fire. He waved again, as if throwing something to the ground. The boy fell, fluttering in an invisible net, like a fly in a spider's web. From somewhere far away he heard his sister crying.

“We’ll take them with us,” the Goblin said to his companions. – They will tell us a lot of interesting things!

"Lily" stands in Flower Lane, in the center of Koturn - the most dangerous slums in the city of Archa. The taste of death is on everyone’s tongue here, and human life is valued less than a hearty dinner or the opportunity to sit for an hour by a warm fireplace. The facade of the tavern tilts to the right: it seems to be trying to nestle next to the neighboring house, imitating its own intoxicated visitors. The back wall was skewed the opposite side. The bare side walls are corroded by a leprosy of rotten gray spots. The windows are boarded up with broken boards, the cracks in them are stuffed with rags. There are proud gaps in the roof, through which the biting wind howls as it blows from the Volander Mountains. There, even in the middle of summer, distant glaciers flicker with silver patterns.

The wind from the sea is no better either. It brings with it a bitter cold that penetrates to the bones, and drives flocks of floating ice along the pier.

Overgrown with forest, the shaggy paws of the Volander Mountains stretch to the very coast, embracing the Port River on both sides and holding the city and the pier in their palms. The city stretches along the river, climbing up both its banks.

Prosperity in Archa is also climbing upward - away from the river. The inhabitants of Koturn, when they happen to take their eyes off their poverty, see above them the houses of the rich, arrogantly raising their noses and looking at each other across the river.

Even higher, crowning both banks, there are two castles. On the southern bank is the Tiled Castle, the ancestral bastion of the Dukes of Archie. The tile building is disgracefully neglected, as are almost all the buildings in the city.

Below the slope is the sacred center of Archa - the Fence, under which lie the Catacombs. There, protected by the Guardians of the Dead, fifty generations sleep in eternal sleep, awaiting the Day of Transition.

On the northern shore rises an unfinished fortress, simply called the “black castle”. Its architecture is alien to local residents. Unknown monsters grin from its jagged towers. Snakes curl like frozen serpentines along the walls. And the walls themselves, without a single joint, are sculpted from a material similar to obsidian. And this castle is growing.

The inhabitants of Archie ignore both the growth and the very existence of the castle. They don't want to know what's going on there. Too rarely does the cruel struggle for existence allow them to raise their eyes to such heights.

I pulled out a seven, opened it, folded a three, and stared at my lone ace.

“Everything is clear with him,” muttered the Moneylender sitting to my left. - We blew it again.

I looked at him curiously:

- Why do you think so?

He took the card, swore, and folded it:

“Your face, Chiropractor, when the map rushes at you, becomes like a blind man’s buff.” Even the eyes.

Lollipop took the card, cursed, and discarded a five.

- He's right, Chiropractor. You are so impenetrable that everything is clear at once. Come on, Oil.

Maslo stared intently at his cards, then at the deck, as if he hoped to snatch victory from the clutches of defeat. And he took the card.

- Ugh! – He threw off the elongated king.

I showed them my ace and grabbed the winnings.

While Butter was collecting cards, Lollipop was watching the hall from behind my shoulder. His gaze was hard and cold.

- What's there? – I asked him.

“Our owner is clearly trying to gather his courage.” He thinks about how best to sneak away and warn them.

I turned around. My comrades too. One by one, the innkeeper and his customers lowered their eyes and cowered—all except the tall, dark man sitting alone in the shadows near the fireplace. He winked and raised his mug to greet us. I frowned. He smiled back.

But there are no shadows in the night...

Then the friends sat down to drink tea and buns, and after a short break they continued the conversation. Pythagoras addressed Chain Tzuriel with the following speech: “Oh, my friend, the wisest of the rabbis, I heard from the Egyptian priests that your Kabbalah grew out of another form of mysticism, which still exists separately. This tradition is known to us as the Maaseh Merkabah, or “Acts of the Chariot.” Its mysteries originate from the vision of the Divine Throne, described by the Melchizedeks of Atlantis.

The Merkabah mystic must build in his imagination two intersecting tetrahedrons, spin them in different directions and, breathing in a certain way, sit in this “flying chariot.” The spinning chariot in the mind of the mystic is centered first on the first chakra, then on the second, then on the third, and so on. The mystic must ride this chariot through the Seven Heavens or the Seven Heavenly Halls to reach the divine Throne of God. This journey for neophytes has always been very difficult and fraught with danger. The charioteer of Merkabah must know words of power and magic spells, and most importantly, breathe correctly, making rhythmic inhalations, breath-holds and exhalations in order to enter the Heavenly limits. In preparation for the journey, the monk of the Melchizedek order fasted for 10 days, and during the fast he prayed and meditated. The neophyte's journey began from the Lower World and continued in the middle worlds, and ended in Higher world. Going down to Lower world, in the First Chakra in a state of trance, the mystic received a chariot there, and then went on it to the Upper Worlds. The Seven Heavens, the seven chakras or the seven Halls are inhabited by angels and demons who terrified the unprepared traveler. Essentially, the Merkabah neophyte was awakening the powers of his unconscious mind, and if he undertook the journey without first pacifying his inner demons and paying due respect to his angels, his journey through the astral worlds could quickly turn into a nightmare of Hell.

The Merkabah mysteries were practiced not only in Atlantis, but also in Ancient Egypt. The hierarchs considered these mysteries so dangerous that even in the time of Solomon, the Jewish elders decided: “The Teaching of the Chariot can only be transmitted to one student at a time, and this student must be wise, understanding and have his own knowledge.”

Of course, there were those who achieved success in their enterprise and were awarded the sight of the Throne of God. Often their visions were recorded for the edification of travelers. The vision of the Throne was the goal of every Merkabah charioteer. He did not try to go further and did not ask questions about the nature and origin of the Throne. It seems to me that this is where the Merkabah mystics differ from the early Kabbalists. Kabbalah strives to unravel the mysteries of creation and the true essence of the Creator, and the charioteers of Merkabah only contemplate the life of civilizations in the subtle worlds and reach the Throne of the Lord without asking questions.”

Here Pythagoras fell silent and, after a short pause, Khain Tsuriel spoke: “Oh, wisest Son of the sun god Apollo! Your speech made an indelible impression on me. But we rabbis were told that the earliest book of Kabbalah is called Sefer Yetzirah. Its title is usually translated as "Book of Creation". We know many versions of this “Book of Creation”, differing little from each other. No matter how strange this book may be, it is perhaps the most accessible text of all Kabbalah texts to people. Most of Kabbalistic literature is philosophical in nature and requires diligent study from the mystic. It is very rare to find any practices or systems of meditation in the books of Kabbalah. But Sepher Yetzirah is an exception. There are so many practices and different meditations in it that it is even difficult for a neophyte to decide where to start. Depending on the ideological position of the reader, the meaning of the book may change. Some of its interpretations are known, some are not - they were never written down, and the oral tradition has long been lost. Dear Pythagoras, this Sepher Yetzira contains the secret of secrets.

At the beginning of our book we already talked about Kevala Kumbhaka. We also talked about two Kevala breathing techniques. There, the descriptions of the Kevala technique were given softly, more suitable for beginners, for those who have not yet been cleansed of bad Karma. Here we will give more in-depth knowledge for advanced sadhaks. The Gheranda Samhita says the following about Kevala Kumbhaka:

1. The breath of every living being, when entering, makes the sound “dry” and when leaving, makes the sound “ham”. These two sounds form the word “soham” (“I am THAT”) or “khamsa” (Sanskrit “khamsa” - swan).

During the day, 21,600 breaths are obtained (15 breaths per minute). Every living being unconsciously performs this unspoken Mantra called Ajapa Gayatri.

2. Ajapa Gayatri is repeated in 3 places - in Muladhara, in Anaha-ta and at the junction of both nostrils (in Ajna chakra).

3. The normal body has an average length of 96 fingers (1 finger is about 2 cm; a total of about 190 cm). Typically, air is exhaled to a length of 12 fingers.

4. When singing, this distance is 16 fingers, when eating - 20 fingers, when walking - 24, when sleeping - 30, when having sexual intercourse - 36, and when physical activity- even more.

5. When the length of natural exhalation decreases (pulmonary ventilation decreases), life expectancy increases.

6. As long as Prana remains in the body, there is no death. When the entire full length of the breath is confined within the body and nothing comes out, this is Kevala Kumbhaka.

7. Every living being unconsciously repeats a certain number of these Ajapa mantras, but does not count them. Yogis repeat them consciously and count.

8. By doubling the amount of Ajapa (30 breaths per minute), a state of mental stability (Manomani) is achieved. In this process there are no longer alternating inhalations and exhalations, but only one Kumbhaka (retention).

9. Inhaling air through both nostrils, perform Kevala Kumbhaka. On the first day, hold your breath from 1 to 64 pulses.

10. Do Kevala 8 times a day every 3 hours, or do it 5 times a day, as I will tell you:

11. In the morning, at noon, in the evening, at midnight and in the last quarter of the night. Or do it 3 times a day - morning, noon and evening.

12. Until success comes in Kevala, reduce the length of Ajapa-japa every day, from 1 to 5 times. He who knows Pranayama and Kevala is a real yogi.

13. Is there anything else in this world that is not achievable for one who has achieved success in Kevala Kumbhaka?

So Kumbhaka is of two types. The one that consists of inhalation, retention and exhalation is called Sahita. That which is devoid of inhalation and exhalation is called Kevala. In this Pranayama, the breath suddenly stops without inhalation or exhalation for half an hour or three hours or for however long. Thanks to Kevala Kumbhaka, a person learns to hold his breath for as long as he wants. Then he becomes a Raja Yogi.

TECHNIQUE:

Sit in Padmasana, Siddhasana or any other cross-legged pose. Breathe calmly and rhythmically. For example, 4 seconds - inhale, 4 - exhale. After some time, increase the duration of inhalation and exhalation to 5 seconds. Having become accustomed to this rhythm, again increase the time of inhalation and exhalation. Reach the maximum time for increasing inhalation and exhalation. Let's say you get to 30 seconds. Breathe like this (inhale for 30 seconds, exhale for 30 seconds) for 10 minutes. Now, having gotten used to the rhythm, try to smooth out the transitions from inhalation to exhalation and from exhalation to inhalation. Smooth out your breathing so that the boundary between inhalation and exhalation practically disappears. This way, over time, you will develop a continuous way of breathing. Once you have mastered the continuous breathing method, reduce the rhythm to 4 seconds, to 2 seconds and finally to one second. That is, you inhale for one second and exhale for one second. The volume of air you inhale and exhale should decrease over time so much that it is as if you were inhaling just one atom of air and exhaling one atom. The rhythm should decrease all the time. When you master the technique of 0.5 seconds - inhale and 0.5 seconds - exhale, your breathing will seem to stop completely.

In the first months of training, you will naturally have a short pause between inhalation and exhalation. But after about six months of persistent practice, the pause between inhalation and exhalation will disappear. But at the same time there will be a pause between exhalation and inhalation. A few more months of training will pass and this pause will also disappear. When you have no inhalation or exhalation at all, this is Kevala Kumbhaka. During Kevala, concentrate your attention on the 6th, 7th or 8th chakra.

Kevala teaches how to turn off the nerve currents from the five senses. Kevala shows how to take away your consciousness, your mind and your nervous force from the feelings and desires of the physical body. This method is much better than just sitting and trying to meditate by focusing your mind.

EFFECT OF EXERCISE:

Success in Kevala will come only after good mastery of Sahita Kumbhaka. If you learn to do Kevala Kumbhaka for 30 minutes, the following siddhis will come to you:

1. Anima(from the Sanskrit “annu” - atom) - reduction in size. According to the theory of yoga, the laws within the space of an atom will be different than the known laws of space of the macrocosm. By reducing himself in size, the adept can become invisible, and thus he is able to penetrate into the smallest objects and study their internal structure.

2. Laghima- have no weight, that is, control the force of gravity on your body through the development of opposite centrifugal tendencies in each cell. Yogis consider this an easy act and often use laghima to demonstrate levitation. The Markandeya Purana states that laghima means "to have supreme speed."

3. Mahima- become incredibly large. This makes it possible to see vast spaces, interaction and movement solar system and the universe, to penetrate into the essence of their depths.

4. Garima- to be extremely heavy (as opposed to laghima). In some works of yogis, instead of “garima”, “kamavasayita” (complete satisfaction) is described - a complete feeling of satisfaction.

5. Prapti- be transported in space to any place at any time. In the “Shiva Samhita” it is written about this: “He (the adept) will find everything he wants, for he will have everything at hand.”

6. Prakamya- instantly fulfill all your desires and see all your desires realized.

7. Vashitva- control the forces of nature. The purpose of living, thinking nature is to conquer inanimate, inert nature, and also to subordinate the rest of the living world to the will of man. But to dominate, you need to know the origins. This required the will and courage of many generations of yogis, increased tenfold by the thirst for knowledge.

8. Ishitva- be the ruler of the world, create and destroy, renew and destroy.

In addition to these eight main goals, the adept achieves bodily perfection, including:

a) appearance (rupa);

b) charm (lavanya);

c) strength (bala);

d) hardness (sanhanana).

In addition to the main goals, yogis describe thirty additional qualities that they acquire in the process of such training.

1. Achievements obtained through mental activity (“nirodha piranama siddhi”) as a result of self-control and concentration, based on phenomena in three spheres: in the sphere of natural laws (“dharma”), partial laws (“lakshana”) and phenomena occurring due to certain conditions (“avastha”). With the help of this training, the adept understands the past and can predict the future development of phenomena.

2. Insight into the meaning of words and animal cries. The sound composition of words, their sound form, the meaning of words, i.e. their internal content, and the combination of sounds and words are three aspects of an indivisible whole. By concentrating on each of these aspects separately, the adept can understand the language of all living beings.

3. Knowledge of the past can be achieved by concentrating on external and internal signs, as well as traces left past life on the body.

4. Reading the thoughts of any being is accomplished by concentrating on the ability of thinking and perception.

5. Become invisible. By concentrating on the shape of the body, the radiation coming from it, with the help of which it is visually perceived, weakens and in the end the contact between the visual organs of others and the body of the adept completely stops and the adept seems to disappear.

6. Knowledge of death and its essence. By focusing on the basic properties of phenomena that give rise to immediate consequences, and on the essence of phenomena whose impact is felt later, the adept understands the processes and essence of death.

7. Knowledge of the soul (“atma bala”) or Mind (“purna mano bala”) is achieved by mental concentration on abstract concepts such as the power of friendship and love, joy, regret, impartiality and detachment.

8. Acquiring the physical strength of animals is achieved by concentrating on the strength of these animals in conjunction with special physical training.

9. Knowledge of the subtle hidden mechanisms of things and phenomena, penetration into their essence can be achieved by attracting knowledge, intuition and concentration of thoughts.

10. Knowledge of the solar system and stellar worlds is achieved by concentrating the mind and focusing it on the sun. This way you can understand the nature of the sun and stars and the processes occurring in them.

11. Knowledge of the planets is achieved by concentration and focusing the mental abilities on the Moon. By studying the Moon, you can understand the essence of the planets.

12. Knowledge of the laws of motion of stars is achieved by focusing on the North Star.

13. Knowledge of the body and its basic essence is achieved by concentrating on the solar plexus and navel.

14. Freedom from hunger and thirst can be achieved by concentrating on the neck cavity.

15. Peace of body and soul is achieved by concentrating on the main artery (kurma) near this cavity (carotid artery).

16. Supernatural visions are achieved by concentrating on the light emanating from the subtle center located above the eyebrows, called “Brahmarandhra”.

17. Universal knowledge comes after concentration on the “star of divination” (“pratibha”), which appears in the head after establishing absolute calm of the body and mind.

18. Knowledge of consciousness is achieved by focusing on the heart.

19. Mental reconstruction of the structure of the cosmos. When a state of true consciousness is achieved, in which thought abstracts from things and one’s own “I”, deepening concentration on this state, one can see the structure of the universe, the essence of Brahma, the basic laws of the structure of the entire universe. Along with this, the ability of divination and five sensory achievements are achieved:

a) predictions (“pratibha”) about the past and future;

b) the ability of internal listening (“shravan”), with the help of which you can listen to yourself, as well as understand the sacred sound “Aum” (Om) - the main mantra of yogis.

c) the ability of absolute touch (“vedana”), with the help of which one can penetrate into the essence of objects and “see” them;

d) the ability of supervision (“adarsha”) - to see objects at long distances, as well as in the dark, and objects hidden by a barrier.

e) taste abilities (“asvadana”) - taste sensations refined to the limit;

f) the ability to super-smell (“varta siddhi”) - an extremely refined sense of smell.

20. Leave the shell (body). By concentrating all your attention on the subtle astral body the bonds connecting him to the shell weaken, and the adept can leave his shell or re-enter it.

21. Be out of contact with the outside world. By practicing concentration on the vital energy located in the throat area (udana), and directing this energy to the head area, one can develop the ability of a person to be out of contact with the outside world. That is, no one can touch the adept and nothing can stick to him.

22. Control over fiery energy (“samana”). Fiery vital energy spreads from the navel in all directions evenly. It regulates various vital functions internal organs. Their interaction depends on it. By practicing concentration on it, the yogi’s body begins to emit light, similar to the reflection of a burning fire.

23. Hearing ability. By practicing focusing their attention on the organs of hearing, yogis can hear sounds at enormous distances; sounds beyond the range of audibility of an ordinary person become accessible to them.

24. Levitation. By practicing concentration on the relationship between the body, its cells and the all-pervading primordial matter that fills space, and by concentrating on small and light objects, yogis can neutralize gravity and become weightless.

25. Free wandering of thought not connected with the body (“mahavideja drahana”). With the help of exercises to concentrate the thought of free movement in space away from the body, yoga becomes easy and free. His thoughts wander without any restrictions.

26. Conquest of the elements of nature. Each of the five elements has five states: gross (sthula), form state (svarupa), subtle (sukshma), conditioned (anvaya) and causal (art-ha-vattva). By concentrating on these five states, the yogi gradually subjugates the five elements of nature.

27. Subordination of the five principles of sensory perceptions allows the yogi to achieve a state of “translevitation” (“manoyavitva”), in which the yogi can appear in any place at will with the speed of thought. Traveling independently, thought becomes the eyes and ears of the yogi's mind, the receptacle of all five senses, the source of information. Yogis thus comprehend the truth of the evolution of nature.

28. Knowledge of the universe. Having learned the internal properties of objects and phenomena, a yogi penetrates into the secrets of the universe and learns the laws of the universe.

29. Knowledge of time. The time during which an atom moves a distance across its diameter is called “kshana” by yogis. Its continuous movements are called "krama" in Sanskrit.

Concentration and meditation are processes through which space and time are connected. With the help of atomic concentration exercises, knowledge of time and space (“anubhava siddha jnana”) is achieved. since the movement of atoms at a given moment is a continuation of previous movements, a general picture of the movement of atoms in the universe emerges. Yogis can thus know the past, present and future.

30. Transcendental achievement (“para siddhi”). Still talking
It was about achievements that were not transcendental; they related to the world of forms.
But with the help of exercises in the ability to recognize phenomena, to be able to identify
To put it simply, a yogi can influence the course of events, slow them down or speed them up.
He can destroy the seeds of evil and achieve complete freedom.

On the embankment of the Moscow River the shadows of the night are thickening, and the Cathedral of Christ the Savior is bathed in the light of bright illumination. Leonid Simonovich-Niksic (black suit and spade beard included) begins a night “patrol” with a cross in his hand. This is exactly what this Orthodox radical calls the marches around Moscow until one in the morning, which he began to regularly conduct in September, in order to “protect believers” and make it easier for them to fulfill their religious duty and access to holy places. This Russian with Serbian roots is convinced that the Pussy Riot case showed that “ Orthodox faith- in danger".

According to him, the threat increased after activists of the Ukrainian feminist group FEMEN cut down a cross as a sign of support for the Moscow “sisters” sent to jail. Another blow was the recent desecration of the grave of Rasputin, who was a spiritual mentor, in St. Petersburg last empress Alexandra Fedorovna. “The war against Orthodoxy began, as in 1917, when Lenin gave the order to kill priests. Pussy Riot is using the language of Satanists,” claims Leonid, who would like to see the three members of the group “expelled and excommunicated.”

Latent anti-Semitism

Leonid Simonovich-Niksic is the leader of the Union of Orthodox Banner Bearers, who is famous not least for his emblem: three skulls with a dagger in the teeth under the cross. This radical Orthodox organization, founded in 1992, is known for almost military discipline. One of its members, Peter, (an ordinary architect in the world) listens to his mentor with sacred respect and talks about his fears on the eve of his trip to France, secular state"unlike Italy." Such conservative religious movements (some of which existed secretly during the Soviet era) have cleverly adapted to the new conditions and use the same propaganda tools as Pussy Riot supporters: their members sing, pray, wave icons and shout at their opponents in front of the building where the process is going on.

In addition to the Union of Orthodox Banner Bearers, especially notable are the Tsarebozhniki, who do not recognize the church hierarchy and proclaim “Orthodoxy or death!”, as well as the new movement “Holy Rus'” created a year ago. They are all united by a hatred of the Russian Emperor Peter the Great, who opened the country to European influence, a disgust for Western democracy and a desire to restore the monarchy. In addition, they demand that Nicholas II be canonized, whose murder by the Bolsheviks in 1918 they present as a kind of ritual sacrifice in the name of atonement for the sins of the country. The ideal model of leadership, in their opinion, was created by Ivan the Terrible, a God-sent king who broke his forehead in prayer, but at the same time mercilessly destroyed his surroundings. Their latent anti-Semitism, in particular, is manifested in the fact that some of them call the “liberal” Dmitry Medvedev a “kike.” Other young Orthodox activists are involved in the activities of the more moderate Georgievtsy movement, which, among other things, demands the removal of Lenin's mausoleum from Red Square.

The Church sided with the Conservatives

“After we made a call to conduct night patrols, we have been receiving more and more proposals for cooperation,” says Ivan Ostrakovsky, an activist of “Holy Rus',” which includes about a hundred people. “Currently, about 2,000 people are ready to help us, but we are still too busy and cannot devote enough time to accepting new members. Before we allow someone to join our ranks, we need to study his lifestyle, behavior, find out if he drinks...,” explains this 37-year-old retired officer who served in the army during the war in Chechnya.

As Nikolai Shaburov, an expert on religion, notes, the number of activists in these Orthodox organizations (estimated at several thousand people) remains at the same level. At the same time, their legitimacy is growing. " Top news- is that the church and the authorities now look favorably on such organizations,” notes this Moscow University teacher. The Moscow Patriarchate, which during the time of Alexy maneuvered between the liberal and conservative wings, under Kirill decided to take a tougher line towards Pussy Riot with the full consent of the regime. This turn brought considerable benefit to Orthodox fundamentalists.