The Anastasia movement, which was born in Russia and is known for its far-right principles, adopting a lifestyle intertwined with nature, has already made the headlines. But what was an isolated phenomenon in a few communities of so-called ‘bio-Nazis’ in Germany a few years ago, during the epidemic years, has spread throughout the German-speaking world in Austria and Switzerland and has reached various corners as well. Europe from Bulgaria to Portugal.
The cult is defined as an eco-spiritual movement with an esoteric nature that pushes its followers to abandon modern life and retire to rural communities inspired by the principles of the Russian entrepreneur and writer Vladimir Megre, who is considered the founder of Anastasia. However, this sect’s environmentalism embraces far-right and anti-Semitic theses so much that it is now defined as a religion-driven form of political radicalism. In Russia, where the movement was born, there are more than 400 communities affiliated with the Anastasia sect, which brings together thousands of ‘loyalists’. It is estimated that around 3-4.000 people in German-speaking countries belong to the ‘bio-Nazi’ sect. And with the pandemic, he lived an easy life to expand.
Covid-19 has given Anastasia a big boost thanks to her unvaccinated ideas being shared by other far-right movements. Members of the sect have de facto rejected social distancing rules, the requirement to pass anti-Covid tests in order to be able to engage in various activities, and the vaccination campaign against the virus. Recently, however, the sect has found another way to propagate its religion. A well-known Anastasia activist is one of the main “animators” of the conspiracy channels in Telegram, which in fact has about 250,000 subscribers, and especially condemned the “lies” of the media about the war in Ukraine.
“We are building an anti-Russian propaganda, an image,” built by the same “system” that “corrupts” people, an activist of the movement told AFP. Ulrike said that with the pandemic, conspiracy theories “had a big boom”. Schiesser, head of Germany’s Federal Office for Sectarian Affairs, confirmed to the news agency that he saw an esoteric concept in the Anastasia movement, which the expert “seems to contain a few innocuous ideas for a better life”. against democracy, the state, or science, “presenting itself as the way forward for an elite with truth. Belittled, as if the guru’s writings could not be criticized”.
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
