Sergey Torop, a Russian cult leader who claimed to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ, has been sentenced to 12 years in a maximum-security prison for inflicting physical and psychological harm on his followers.
Torop, a former traffic police officer who styled himself as “Vissarion” and “Jesus of Siberia,” rose to prominence in the early 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union. He founded the Church of the Last Testament in 1991 and attracted thousands of followers to isolated settlements in Siberia, including one hillside commune known as the “Abode of Dawn.”
His teachings urged followers to abstain from meat, alcohol, and money, while portraying himself in the image of the biblical Jesus. Adherents prayed to him and obeyed strict rules within the communes.
Authorities had monitored Torop and his associates for years, but it wasn’t until 2020 that they were arrested on charges of manipulating and exploiting followers for free labour and financial gain. Russian investigators said at least 16 people were directly harmed by the cult’s practices.
On July 2, 2025, a court found Torop guilty and sentenced him to 12 years in prison. Two of his top aides were also convicted.
Torop had previously acknowledged his messianic claims in interviews, once telling The Guardian in 2002, “To keep things simple, yes, I am Jesus Christ.”
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