THE leaders of a notorious Russian “sex sect” are to face trial for abuse, torture and kidnapping of children.
Former fitness coach Sergey Kirienko, 42, who claims to be a “deity”, forced dozens of "lonely" women disciples to take part in orgies, prostitution and pornographic films, say his critics.
Now the Russian authorities have charged him and two key associates – Tatiana Severtseva and Dmitry Tsaturian – with a string of offences which could lead to sentences of up to 12 years.
All three are in custody and are due to go on trial in Moscow.
Kirienko is accused of ordering the kidnapping of three children of members of his bizarre cult called Kaula Dharma.
The boy and twin girls were subjected to beatings and sex abuse, it is alleged.
An imminent trial will hear allegations of “violent actions of sexual character” committed by the sect leaders, say prosecutors.
Kirienko, a yoga fanatic who teaches that enlightenment is only attainable through sex, is known as Mitradevananda Paramahamsa to his followers.
He was extradited to Russian from Bulgaria in 2017 – but half a dozen key figures in his sect remain on the run and wanted by police.
The case against him says Kirienko demanded "unquestioning obedience” from his female followers.
LIVING GOD
He meted out "beatings, psychological abuse, and acts of sexual nature" as a "divine gift”, it is alleged.
"The same methods were applied to children,” says prosecutors.
He is accused of setting up an illegal religious grouping in 2012 aimed at distorting the “moral values” of its members many of whom were vulnerable.
Severtseva, 29, was in charge of recruitment of new women disciples and is described as a Kirienko “concubine”.
Tsaturian, 36, controlled the group’s purse strings, with main earnings from making pornographic films, it is claimed.
A video shows how the pair hid their faces behind the iron bars of court cage at a custody hearing.
Kirienko sought out “mostly lonely women with small children”, alleged Alexander Kurennoy, an aide to the Russian Prosecutor General.
The "main wisdom" he promoted was "veneration of the sect's head as a deity" – himself.
The cult leader bizarrely divided his women followers into "castes", say reports on the group.
The 15 females in the “highest caste” lived with Kirienko in a four-storey house at an elite development in Mytishchi, a drab Moscow suburb, where orgies were frequent.
When the Russian authorities first took an interest in him, Kirienko and his women – many of whom he called his "wives" – fled to Cancun in Mexico, where his entourage “offered their services to rich clients”.
The group then moved to Belgium before decamping to Bulgaria where they lived in a palatial mansion.
A sect publication revealed that to become a "wife" to the guru, women should have "at least three published photo shoots over the past six months for commercial sites in the 18+ segment”.
'PROSTITUTION'
This applied even if the applicants were trained doctors or lawyers, it was stated.
Women seeking to join his entourage who are less than 5ft 5 in tall "will not be considered without paying an entrance fee of $30,000", it went on.
Hundreds of Kirienko's supporters – including his actual wife Ksenia Khodyreva – backed his fight against extradition from Bulgaria, claiming the move tantamount to "signing a death sentence to an innocent person".
She has claimed the prosecution of her husband is an "absurd, fabricated case".
Some of Kirienko’s women followers also back his claim of innocence.
The women "are all 18-plus and have all rights to do and believe what they want within the limits of the law.
"Being adult actresses is not prohibited by law," said one, Valentyna Voloshyna, who also uses the name Kira Volodina.
They claim Kirienko is persecuted in Russia because of his opposition to Vladimir Putin and his "cult of poverty", "Stalinisation", censorship and "violation of human rights and freedoms”.
Kirienko’s wives were “healthy, happy, smart, beautiful and successful”, they claimed.
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