# Church of the Last Testament · The Cult Dossier · The Atlas · The Congregation of Tomorrow

Source: https://congregationoftomorrow.org/atlas/library/cults/083-church-of-the-last-testament/ · The Congregation of Tomorrow · the Atlas · language: en
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The Cult Dossier · No. 083 · Christian-Derived
Church of the Last Testament
Vissarionites; the Community of Unified Faith
1991 – 2020 · Kuraginsky District, Krasnoyarsk Krai, southern Siberia
X. RUSSIA, KOREA AND SOUTH ASIA
Fully religious — Christian-derived Siberian commune
### Who led it
### What it worshipped and taught
### Who was in it
### How it ended, or where it stands
### The dead
### Of note
### Its timeline
- 18 August 1991 Torop announces his identity, four days before the Soviet coup attempt.
- 1994 onward Followers begin migrating to Siberia; the Abode of Dawn is built.
- 1990s–2010s The community becomes a fixture of international photojournalism; the settlements are largely peaceful, self-sufficient and openly visited.
- 22 SEPTEMBER 2020 Russian security forces raid the settlements by helicopter. Vissarion, Redkin and Vedernikov are arrested and flown to Novosibirsk, charged with creating a religious organisation that causes harm and with extracting money and inflicting psychological violence.
- 2020–2025 The three are held in custody for nearly five years before verdict.
- 30 JUNE 2025 CONVICTED in Novosibirsk of creating a religious organisation that violated members' civil rights and caused bodily harm. Prosecutors established psychological manipulation used to control and exploit followers for labour and money between 1991 and 2020. TOROP RECEIVED 12 YEARS in a maximum-security penal colony; VEDERNIKOV 12 and REDKIN 11, as reported by Reuters and the Moscow Times (an earlier version of this file said the reporting conflicted). The court awarded 45 MILLION ROUBLES (about 572,000 US dollars) in damages to the victims and the state. Memorial, the Russian rights group, lists all three as political prisoners.
- 2025–2026 THE SETTLEMENTS CONTINUE OPERATING without the leadership. The community did not disperse.
### Its people
### Vissarion
Sergey Anatolyevich Torop
Founder, Church of the Last Testament · born 14 January 1961 · active 1991–2020
Before the law. CONVICTED 30 June 2025; 12 years. NOTE: the Russian state applies extremism and harm statutes broadly against minority religions, including Jehovah's Witnesses, so the conviction should be read with that context.
Where things stand. Incarcerated. The Siberian settlements continue without him.
- 18 August 1991 Announces his identity.
- 1994 onward Followers migrate to Siberia; the Abode of Dawn is built.
- 22 September 2020 Arrested in a helicopter raid by Russian security forces.
- 2020–2025 Held in pre-trial detention for nearly five years.
- 30 JUNE 2025 CONVICTED in Novosibirsk of creating a religious organisation that violated members' rights and caused bodily harm. SENTENCED TO 12 YEARS in a maximum-security colony, with 45 million roubles in damages ordered; Vedernikov received 12 years and Redkin 11.
Checked 2026-09-17 · living: health details are kept at home
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