Lecture at the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Altai Territory

On October the 20th in Barnaul by the invitation of the leadership of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Altai Territory, and with the blessing of His Eminence Nicodemus, Metropolitan of Novosibirsk and Berdsk, a member of the Public Council of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation for the SFO, head of the missionary Department of the Novosibirsk Diocese, Rector of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral Archpriest Alexander Novopashin gave a lecture "Destructive formations as a threat to the individual, family, society and the state."

The listeners were not only employees of the Main Directorate, but also of all district offices of the Altai Territory - a live broadcast was conducted for them.

Priest Father Alexander gave examples of the main types of destructive organizations that pose a threat at the moment: fraudulent structures, totalitarian sects, suicidal sects, extremist and terrorist organizations. Particular emphasis was made on the serious threat that neo-paganism poses to Russia's national security. Representatives of destructive sectarian movements are often used by outside foreign forces to increase extremist sentiments in society, participate in protest actions and organize "color revolutions". A vivid example of a state where neo-pagan ideology is not only widespread, but also part of the ideological machine is modern Ukraine. Having begun its spread there long before the Maidan of 2014, neo-paganism became the dominant ideology of the most aggressive part of the Ukronazists. Another illustrative example from the same Ukraine is the neo-Pentecostal sects, whose adherents were one of the driving forces of the first Maidan of 2004, as a result of which Yushchenko came to power, actively participated in the second in 2014, and it was the neo-charismatic Turchynov, who headed the Kiev junta immediately after the overthrow of Yanukovych, who began the so-called "ATO" in the Donbass, for which he received the nickname "bloody pastor". Attempts to infiltrate state bodies and, in particular, law enforcement agencies in Russia are actively being undertaken by neo-pagans and neo-Pentecostals even now, during a Special military operation.

Speaking about the fact that currently recruitment to sects is carried out mostly through social networks, and the goal for involvement is mainly the active part of the population - students, people of military age, military personnel and civil servants, Father Alexander noted that all neo-pagan sects are pseudo-historical, and are surrogates, a fake for religion. And therefore, the best means of preventing sectarianism is knowledge of history, and knowledge of one's real religious tradition.