The News Agency of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness

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    • Senior Russian Vaishnava Brahmananda Puri Das Passes Away

      About two weeks ago, Brahmananda Puri, one of the seniormost Russian-speaking Vaishnavas, was hospitalized with pneumonia as a result of COVID-19.

    • Senior Russian Sannyasi Nitai Chaitanya Goswami Passes Away

      Senior Russian ISKCON sannyasi Nitai Chaitanya Goswami Maharaja was hospitalized on September 25th with COVID-19, and passed away around noon on October 14th in the city of Kursk, Russia. He was 70 years old. 

    • Senior Russian Sannyasi Nitai Chaitanya Goswami in ICU with COVID-19

      Nitai Chaitanya Goswami is one of ISKCON Russia’s first sannyasis and seniormost devotees.

    • Using Science in Krishna’s Service

      How can devotees trained in science and other academic disciplines best use their education in Krishna’s service? Murali Gopal Das, a Bhaktivedanta Institute for Higher Studies research associate with a PhD in Physics, embarked in June on a global tour, to encourage devotees to use science in Krishna’s service. 

    • Russian Sadhu Sanga Festival Kicks Off as 5,000 Devotees Flood to Black Sea

      A popular vacation spot in the south of Russia, Jubga is bordered on one side by lush greenery and on the other by the picturesque Black Sea. It has been the site of Sadhu Sanga for the past five years, although the festival was launched over two decades ago.

    • Moscow Mantra Fest to Bring Mantra Music to a Broad Audience

      Over 1,000 people new to mantra culture are expected to attend Mantra Fest in Moscow, Russia on September 1st at the Green Concert Club.

    • Thriving Devotee Population in Siberia Embraces Japa Retreats

      Chanting japa is one of the activities most central to Krishna consciousness. So every year for the past seven years, devotees from Kemerovo in Siberia, Russia, have put on a special Japa Retreat for both local Vaishnavas and those from surrounding areas.

    • Sri Radha: The Original Rural Devi

      On Radhasthami,  I remembered how Lord Krishna lived in the magnificent city of Dwaraka, after leaving the simple village of Vrndavan. Amidst the opulence of Dwaraka, He was longing for the simple village life, and the love of the unsophisticated residents there, especially Sri Radha.

    • Bhakti & Science - Village to Village

      Murali Gopal Das, a physicist based in Gainesville, Florida, during his recent summer tour in Europe has enthoused devotee scientists to work together and use their special talents for Krishna.

    • From a Nuclear Plant to Love & Peace 'Fine Graff Art'

      The internationally renowned street and fine artist Kardami Kapila Das, a former of the K. Art Collective recently visited St. Petersburg to paint a mural by invitation of ‘Fortunate People’ team - worldwide mantra flash-mob dedicated to spreading Love & Peace.

    • Indian PM Modi Congratulates ISKCON on 30th Anniversary in Russia

      ISKCON was officially recognized and registered in the Soviet Union on May 20, 1988, ending years of persecution of the Hare Krishna devotees by the Communist regime. On May 17, 2018, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent his congratulatory message for the occasion of the 30th Anniversary of ISKCON in Russia.

    • GBC College in Russia – Second Residential Session

      Russian-speaking ISKCON leaders from all over the country (and beyond) assembled in Moscow, in January 2018, for continuing their Zonal Supervisor course, an offering of the GBC College for Leadership Development.

    • 7-year-old Devotee Steals the Heart of Russia

      ISKCON devotees' 7-year-old daughter Vasilisa Yashenko has been recently filmed in a major Russian TV talent show for children entitled as “Luchshe Vseh” or “Best Of All”.

    • Religious Freedom in Danger in Russia: A Cause for Concern in Europe

      A seminar, held on September 26th, 2017, in Italy’s House of Parliament, at the Sala del Refettorio, and organized in co-operation with MP Lacquaniti, has discussed the problems of religious freedom in Russia, a cause of serious concern in Europe.

    • Russian Hare Krishna Music Video

      With hilarious animation.

    • Gauranga Festival Near Moscow

      Gauranga festival near Moscow, June 2017, featuring one of two Russian Gurus, Chaitanya Chandra Charan Das is giving initiations. He also sings in the video by Dmitry Tolkachev. 

    • Indian Parliament’s Speaker Visits ISKCON Moscow

      On July 10th, an official delegation of the Parliament of India visited ISKCON’s Sri Sri Dayal Nitai Sacisuta temple in Moscow. The delegation was led by Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan. She has arrived in Russia on a five-day visit to address the Russian Parliament Duma on July 12. Among other guests of the ISKCON temple were actress and MP Hema Malini, India's Ambassador to Russia Pankaj Saran, as well as other deputees from different Indian states and representatives of the Russian Duma. 

    • Russia: Pokémon Go Blogger Found Guilty of Inciting Religious Hatred

      A Russian blogger has been convicted of inciting religious hatred for playing “Pokemon Go” in a church, and given a suspended sentence.

    • Indradyumna Swami Visits Moscow

      Despite bone chilling weather, Indradyumna Swami and his team's visit to Moscow was blissful due to the warm hearted nature of the devotees who love to chant the holy names and dance in ecstasy. Srila Prabhupada’s visit to Moscow in 1971 planted the seeds of Krsna consciousness which continue to grow in great proportions.

    • Indradyumna Swami Visits St. Petersburg, Russia
    • New Book Tells Incredible History of Soviet Era ISKCON Heroes

      A new book from the Russian branch of the BBT tells the amazing history of ISKCON in the USSR during the Soviet era, detailing the struggles and successes of some of our movement’s most dedicated and often unsung heroes. “The Krishna Consciousness Movement in the USSR:  A Historical Outline From 1971-89” is out on May 15th in the Russian language. Not yet available in English, it is the first comprehensive account of these 18 years of history.

    • Russian Court Bans Jehovah's Witnesses As Extremist

      Russia's Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Jehovah's Witnesses were an "extremist" organization and must disband and hand over all property to the state, local media said. The religious grouping confirmed the ruling about its "liquidation" in Russia.

    • A Man is on Trial in Russia — for Talking about Yoga

      “I am concerned about the complete arbitrariness of this law, which can lead to the persecution of my many fellow citizens who practice yoga and study Indian philosophy,” Ugai wrote in his blog.

    • Vaishnava Marriage Counselors Give First Seminars in Russia

      Vaishnava marriage counselors Partha Das and Uttama Dasi were recently invited, under the recommendation of GBC Bhakti Vijnana Swami, to offer marital and premarital education to devotees in Moscow, Russia, for the first time. The effort was an important service to the vast and fast-growing ISKCON Moscow community, who were grateful to learn practical advice and new paradigms.

    • ISKCON Moscow Lights Up Devotees’ Hearts at Diwali

      One thousand Russian devotees gathered to celebrate Diwali in spectacular style in Moscow on Saturday October 29th. The afternoon was a cultural event to commemorate welcoming Lord Rama and his wife Sita Devi back to their capital Ayodhya. Hanuman, played by Jagat-Pati Das, was a particular crowd favorite. In an incredibly realistic costume, he jumped into the crowd, involving the audience. He also invited all the children onto the stage to participate in fun games with him.

    • Govardhana Puja Around the World in Photos

      Govardhana Puja – the sweetest day of the year – celebrates the day when Lord Krishna as a young boy lifted Govardhana Hill with just His little finger, to protect the residents of Vrindavana village from Lord Indra’s furious thunderstorm. Devotees around the world pour their hearts into their own offerings for the late October festival, engaging their creativity in Krishna’s service to often astonishing effect.

    • Brahmachari Life at Moscow's Jagannath Mandir (Russian with English Subtitles)

      A short film about brahmachari life at Moscow's Jagannath Mandir. Produced by Evgeny Rumyantcev, Georgy Vlasov, Danya Mogutov.

    • The Last Journey of Radha Damodara Das

      On October 16th, the ashes of leading Russian devotee Radha Damodara Das were placed in the holy river Yamuna.  

    • Radha Damodar Das, One of the First Soviet Devotees Passes Away

      Radha Damodar Das, One of the First Devotees in the Soviet Union passed away on September 3rd evening succumbing to lung cancer.  ISKCON Communications Director Anuttama Dasa remembers: "Radha Damodara prabhu was a true, humble and dedicated servant of his guru maharaja and Srila Prabhupada. Despite the dangers and troubles of being a Krishna devotee in the early years in Russia, Radha Damodara was fully committed to Lord Caitanya's mission."

    • Hare Krishna: Fifty Years of Service and Joy (With Russian Subtitles)

      Since its release in February 2016, the short film celebrating ISKCON's 50th Anniversary has been screened in over fourty countries and seen by hundreds of thousands. Recently, the Russian version has been released. Click here for the English version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44OoZ6GfmK0. For a high definition screening copy please contact Krishna-lila dasi: editor@iskconnews.com 

    • Radha Damodar Das, One of the First Devotees in the Soviet Union, Is Gravely Ill

      In May 1983, Radha Damodara was arrested and imprisoned for his faith. While in prison, he had to work in dangerous conditions, which included using a poisonous glue. He also suffered from malnutrition. Nevertheless, Radha Damodar continued to follow the principles of Krishna Consciousness and to preach. His health suffered, especially his lungs. Today, it is the lungs that have been affected by a dangerous disease. 

    • Russia: Anti-Sharing Beliefs Law First Use

      A Hare Krishna adherent has become the first person to be charged under Russia's new law restricting sharing beliefs. Anti-extremism police in Karachai-Cherkessiya arrested 19-year-old Vadim Sibiryev.

    • Bhakti Vijnana Goswami on ISKCON 50th
    • Salted Bread: The Book about ISKCON's Early Days in the USSR Is Back

      The book is an account of painful experiences of the first attempt to spread Krishna consciousness in the USSR, which was Srila Prabhupada’s desire; stories of devotees’ trials in jails and psychiatric hospitals, their encounters with the KGB, but the author Sarvabhavana Das doesn’t lack in humor when he recalls, as he puts it,  “his painful but blissful past”.

    • Pierre Edel on the Ukrainian "The Voice"

      Premamaya Vasudeva Das has entered The Voice of Ukraine and blew the judges and the audience away.

    • Russian ISKCON 50 Focuses on Prabhupada Connection

      Russian devotees began their 2016 with the second annual “Our Prabhupada” festival. The first, in December 2014, saw Suresvara Das speaking about Srila Prabhupada as ISKCON’s Founder-Acharya. At this year’s festival from January 15th to 20th hundreds of devotees learned about Srila Prabhupada as a person from Hari Sauri Das, who personally served him for sixteen months.

    • The Flame of Eternal Love

      "The Flame of Eternal Love" a documentary about Shrila Prabhupada and the development of the Society for Krishna Consciousness in the USSR. Anchor: Sofia Ignatova. Actors: Alexey Sviridov, Acyuta Priya, Nimai, Vrinda. English Anchor voice: Jaya Madhava Das. English voice: Alisa Tchebotareva. Music: Yury Dimentyev. Sound: Vibhavari das. Written and directed by: Arjuna das. Русская версия фильма: "Зажигающий сердца".

    • The First Russian in Vrindavan Was Tsar Nicholas, 125 years ago

      In 1891, Hindus who were bathing in the sacred river Yamuna witnessed an amazing scene. A ship with a name in an unknown language was approaching.

    • Award-Winning Russian Short Asks the Big Questions

      Forget to Remember, the new transformational short film from young Russian director Shaktyavesha Avatar Das, is now available online with English subtitles. The 36-minute Russian language short won second place at the viewer-voted Moscow film festival “I See God,” which is dedicated to work that explores different understandings of God.

    • New Gurukula Set to Open Near Sochi, Russia by 2017

      Construction is set to begin on a new dayschool gurukula near Sochi, Southern Russia sometime this spring, with plans to open in September 2017. With no other gurukulas currently in operation in Russia, it may be under high demand as the only one of its kind.

    • Mercy Filled Crescendos at the Moscow Kirtan Mela

      There were three days of unforgettable kirtans that lasted late into the night, hundreds of guests, participants and volunteers. BB Govinda Swami spoke about the importance of sharing the happiness that we experience, as “love should always be shared – such is its free nature. Love cannot be limited, we just need to become the instrument, through which love will flow further and further…”

    • Putin Says He’d Prefer Start Yoga with Spiritual Practices

      "Yoga is about the development from the physical to the spiritual. Let us say I have started with the spiritual," Putin said at a news conference.

    • Russia’s Rasikanam Leaves as he Lived -- in Kirtan

      Rasikanam Das, a young Russian kirtaniya who was well known for his dedication to chanting Krishna’s Holy Names, passed away at the age of 32 due to heart trouble after he felt weak while leading a Harinam in the town of Sarapul, Russia. The details of his extraordinary life and passing have just come into ISKCON News through an interview with his widow Narasimhi Dasi.

    • Pierre Edel - Jaya Radha Madhava
    • "Spiritual Pilot" - A Devotional Music Video (Russian)

      This video is featuring Rasika-nam Das, a well-known Russian kirtaniya. Rasika-nam left his body on February 24th, 2015 in Sarapul, Volga region, Russia. He felt unwell during harinam which he was leading, was taken to a hospital and passed away in a few hours.

    • First Ever Moscow Kirtan Mela Inspires Two Thousand

      Moscow’s first ever Kirtan Mela, which ran from Friday January 30th to Sunday February 1st, drew nearly 2,000 devotees from around Russia – and it was a colorfuly uplifting affair on a grand scale. The event was organized by Saraswati Dasi after ISKCON guru Bhakti Bringa Govinda Swami, inspired by a “Mantra Yoga” program he attended in Moscow, expressed the desire to participate in more outreach programs there.

    • After “The Voice,” Premamaya Vasudeva Chants to Thousands

      After reaching the quarter finals in the Russian edition of hit talent show The Voice, ISKCON devotee Premamaya Vasudeva Das (Pierre Edel) is continuing to use his newfound fame to deliver a Krishna conscious message. After his final performance, Premamaya thanked his guru Jayapataka Swami on live TV watched by 40 million people, and ended his concession speech with the words, “Hare Krishna.”

    • Pierre Edel - Radha Tattva

      Pierre Edel - vocals, guitars, bass
      Daria Fisher - vocals, violin
      Dmitry Zelensky - drums

    • Prabhupada’s Books Sold Through Russian Bookstore Chain

      Moscow Vaisnavas have prepared a gift for all the Russian readers. Now A.C.Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada's books are available in one of the leading bookstore chains in the country. All BBT books can be bought in 204 stores of the chain in 80 Russian cities.

    • Russian ISKCON Devotee Wears Prabhupada Shirt at the Russian Voice Contest

      ISKCON devotee Premamaya Vasudeva Das (Pierre Edel) singing in front of millions of Russian viewers on the Voice. He was wearing a Prabhupada-shirt during his performance. When asked who it was on his shirt, Pierre answered, "My grandfather".

    • Devotee Contestant at the Russian "The Voice" Talent Show

      Pierre Edel (Premamaya Vasudeva Das) a beautiful soul carrying French and Russian origins started his journey at the Russian 'The Voice' programme.  Having Lord Jagannath upfront and kanthimala on his neck, he started sharing his loving heart with hundreds of thousands of people.

    • Update on the Ukrainian Refugee Crisis

      "We have good news and bad news from Ukraine.The good news is that practically all devotees from the Lugansk region have been safely accommodated elsewhere. Devotees are still fleeing the Donetsk region. On August 28th, eight more devotees from Donetsk, including three children, were assisted into safer accommodations."

    • Niranjana Swami - An Appeal for the Devotees of Ukraine

      Hundreds of ISKCON devotees, including families with small children, had been displaced and rendered homeless due to the military conflicts  in Eastern Ukraine. Please help volunteers to provide them shelter. 

      https://sites.google.com/a/niranjanaswami.org/ukrainian-vaisnava-refugee-fund/

    • Moscow Celebrates Shri Krishna Janmasthami With Spectacular Event

      In celebration of Shri Krishna’s birthday, ISKCON Moscow has organized a beautiful and spiritually deep cultural show in the prestigious Concert Hall “Russia” in Luzhniki, Moscow. Fabulous were not only the performances, which included singing, dancing, and theatrical acts of Krishna lilas and Vedic philosophy, but also the sound and the scene illumination.

    • Persecuted by Soviets, Russia's Hare Krishnas Still Fight for Acceptance

      The Hare Krishna movement has been trying to build a temple in Russia since 1990. They still don't have one. It's not for lack of funds.

    • Updated Report by ISKCON GBC Chairman on Tragic Death of Russian Devotees in India

      On Thursday, June 12th at 12.30 PM EST ISKCON Communications Minister and Governing Body Commission Chairman has released an updated report about the tragic bus accident that claimed at least two lives of Russian ISKCON devotees who were visiting holy places in Northern India. In the meantime, ISKCON Russia has confirmed the names of the deceased devotees. 

    • New Temporary ISKCON Temple Opens in Moscow

      The buildings at Dinamo where Vaisnavas worshipped Krishna for ten years have been recently demolished after the devotees had moved all their belongings to their new temple. The new rented place is spacious and beautifully renovated. But still not spacious enough to accomodate the crowd of five to ten thousand people that are expected to visit the Centre on Janmashtami.

    • Temple Profile: Kiev, Ukraine

      Today, Ukraine is all over the news for the civil unrest in its capital Kiev. But devotees are safe, and doing what they can to assist those affected. The crisis has, however, affected the Bhakti Sangam festival, which draws thousands of devotees and is the biggest ISKCON festival in the Ukraine and one of the biggest in the world. The festival was held every September in the Crimean Peninsula on the coast of the Black Sea, an area which became Russian territory in late February.

    • An Appeal to the Devotees of Ukraine and Russia

      ISKCON devotees in Russia and Ukraine have had quite a turbulent time in the past month with the revolution in Ukraine. Due to this situation Bhakti Vijnana Goswami has recorded an appeal to the devotees of Ukraine and Russia. 

    • Bhagavad-gita As It Is Sold By Leading Russian Bookstore Chain

      Bukvoed, one of Russia’s leading bookstore chains, has been selling Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is from a prominent stand at one of its specialist stores in St. Petersburg since last year. The bookstore, called “The Shop of the Most Essential Books: In All Senses,” stocks about 60,000 titles, with many unique books on spiritual traditions, world religions, spiritual practices, history, astrology, philosophy, psychology, health and business.

    • ISKCON Moscow Rents New Space, Goes to Court

      In the latest in a series of exhausting trials, ISKCON devotees have been given until March 1st by the Moscow government to move out of their temple at Dinamo. The devotee community has already found a new space to rent, and will stay there while they go to court to pursue justice.

    • A Message to Moscow: Throw Fur Out!

      A new year offers new opportunities to take our campaign against fur to the country that buys more of it than any other in the world: Russia.

    • Russian ISKCON News Facebook Page Launched

      With a Spanish language ISKCON News website launched on January 1st (noticias.iskcon.org), and running successfully, it’s now Russia’s turn. “There is a lot going on in Russian-speaking ISKCON,” she says. “But a system for timely communication between different temples’ Communications Departments is only in the making now," says managing editor Bhaktin Olessia.

    • Vladimir Putin Congratulates Russians on Orthodox Christmas

      Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated Orthodox Christians and all citizens of Russia who celebrate Christmas.

    • Reflections on the Volgograd Terrorist Attacks

      The tragic events in Volgograd makes us wonder about the nature of terrorism. The saddest thing is that people explain or justify terrorism with God, and with the name of God.

    • Book Distribution Marathon in Russia

      An inspiring video by the brachmacharis of Yurlovo ashram about the book distribution leaders in Russia. 

    • A Pre-Marathon Address from Russia

      A video by Shkatyavesha Avatara dasa.

    • ISKCON Moscow Faces Uncertain Future

      For years, the Moscow Society for Krishna Consciousness has endured broken promises by the Moscow City government, which has repeatedly given them land and buildings, only to evict them later. Today, with most of their center demolished, an already passed deadline from the courts to leave the premises, and no replacement temple ready, the future of ISKCON Moscow is uncertain.

    • Soviet Pioneer Devotee Vishvamitra Das Passes Away

      Vishvamitra Das (Vladimir Kritsky) joined the Krishna Consciousness movement in 1979. In the beginning of the 80's he was arrested for his faith and has spent six years in prison.

    • Krishna Yet to Win Russian Hearts

      The long-running feud over Moscow’s ISKCON temple shows the suspicion and hostility that the Hare Krishna movement still evokes in that country.

    • Moscow Krishna Devotees Face Eviction: Update

      The belongings of Moscow Hare Krishna Temple are packed in boxes so most treasured items can be removed "within 15 minutes if the bulldozers come."

    • 25th Anniversary of ISKCON Moscow’s Registration Celebrated

      Five thousand devotees visited ISKCON Moscow from June 28th to 30th to celebrate 25 years since the Moscow Society for Krishna Consciousness—and with it, other ISKCON communities all over Russia—was officially registered in 1988. The Moscow temple is one of the most resilient and fast-growing communities in ISKCON.

    • Ananta Shanti Das, Prabhupada's First Russian Disciple Passes Away

      Ananta Shanti das (Anatoli Pinyaev), the firs Russian disciple of Srila Prabhupada, has left his body on June 3rd, 2013, as a result of a stroke.

    • Moscow Hare Krishnas Participate at the Night of Museums
      The Night of Museums is a yearly event when most of the museums in Russia are open for free public admission throughout the night.
    • Putin Approves New Education Law
      Russian President Vladimir Putin signed new legislation that makes a course on the fundamentals of religion mandatory in all schools. It wasn’t clear if that means lessons on Orthodox Christianity or world religions generally.
    • Putin Visit: Krishna to Kudankulam on Indian Agenda
      Exactly a year ago, a news rocked the Indian parliament about an imminent legal ban on the Bhagvad Gita, Hinduism's revered text and philosophical treatise, in Russia, forcing Moscow's intervention. A year later, a bigger crisis looms. A cocktail of religious idiosyncrasy and byzantine municipal laws is leading to ISKCON's eviction from its only temple in Moscow on January 15.
    • Moscow’s Bhaktivedanta Ashram: In the Business of Inspiration
      Moscow’s Bhaktivedanta Ashram is in the business of inspiration. It’s a quality that shines through when talking with Mathurananda Das, a round-faced, beaming and effulgent brahmachari (celibate monk) who serves on the Ashram’s council and helps run many of its programs.
    • Indian and Russian ISKCON Leaders Meet Pranab Mukherjee, President of India

      Believers of the Hare Krishna movement call for the Indian President’s support in the construction of a new Krishna temple in Moscow.

    • Georgian Oncologist Translates BBT Books on Morning Commute

      Nandapriya Das, an oncologist at one of Scandinavia’s largest hospitals, spends his spare time translating Srila Prabhupada’s books into the language of his native Georgia.

    • Putin’s God Squad
      After years of repression under Communist rule, the Orthodox Church is back at the heart of Russian politics.
    • Russian ISKCON Devotees Continue Helping People in the Flooded Krasnodar Area
      From the first hours after the strong flood which has affected the towns of Krasnodar region and taken a great number of lives, Vaishnavas from southern Russian cities (especially from Novorossiysk and Volzhsk) along with Christians volunteers have been doing extensive civil services in the area.
    • ISKCON Devotees from South of Russia Help People in the Flooded Areas
      The Hare Krishnas are distributing hot food and giving out the collected clothes to the aggrieved people in Krymsk and other towns in the zone of a strong flood which has fallen upon the region during the night of July 6th-7th.
    • No Further Appeal Against Bhagvad Gita Translation
      Russian prosecutors have decided against taking forward their case seeking a ban on a translation of Bhagvad Gita, bringing to end an issue that had enraged Hindus worldwide and even threatened to strain Russia's ties with India.
    • Krishnaites Relocate their Ritual Ceremony Because of Protest at New Temple Land
      According to the official statement of ISKCON Moscow, on June 7th, there was a ritual ceremony in honor of starting the construction of their new temple. However, they had to change the venue, as the land where their temple is going to be built, was occupied by several hundred protesters.
    • Radhanath Swami's Book Soften Hearts in Russia
      In March 2012, Radhanath Swami visited Moscow and Saint Petersburg for promoting his book The Journey home. The book was released in Russian in the previous fall, and all the 10,000 copies were sold out in no time.
    • New ISKCON Temple Opens in Kursk, Russia

      On the 5th of May, over a hundred Hare Krishna devotees from all over Russia gathered in Kursk to celebrate the opening of the new center.

    • President of India Expresses Appreciation for ISKCON’s Activities in Russia
      On February 28, a team of ISKCON devotees met the President of India. Gopal Krishna Goswami thanked Srimati Pratibha Patil for being appreciative of ISKCON’s efforts to propagate Krishna-consciousness in Russia and all over the world.
    • Indian External Affairs Minister Calls on Russia to Respect Bhagavad-gita
      In a statement released on December 20th, Indian External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said that the Government of India has taken up the Bhagavad Gita controversy with the highest levels of Russian government, and hopes for a resolution.
    • Bhagavad Gita Under Renewed Threat of Being Banned in Russia
      Bhagavad-gita As It Is, one of the most respected holy scriptures of the world today, is under the threat of being banned in Russia.
    • Russia: "This Isn't About Freedom of Conscience or Censorship"
      Russian state censorship increasingly extended nationwide in November to cover Jehovah's Witness websites – and possibly also Hare Krishna sms announcements, Forum 18 News Service has learnt. A Prosecutor's Office official claimed to Forum 18 that blocking the websites "isn't about freedom of conscience or censorship – it's about restricting access to extremist materials."
    • New Devotee Family Community In South Russia
      A village in a resort area on the shores of the Black Sea was chosen as a suitable place to realize the late Purnachandra Goswami’s vision. He wanted to see devotee families to be economically independent, while learning to spiritually depend on each other.
    • The Ombudsman of Tomsk Urged the Initiators of the "Bhagavad-gita Trial" to Come to Their Senses
      Human Rights Commissioner for Russia`s Tomsk region urged the initiators of the trial of ISKCON`s main book, the "Bhagavad-Gita As It Is” to rethink their approach.
    • The Indian Minister of Tourism Visits Moscow Krishna Temple
      On September 24th, India`s Minister of Tourism met with Gopal Krishna Goswami to review the progress of the project of a new temple in Moscow. Ironically, a few days after the Minister`s visit, there was an unfortunate turn of events that could clearly endanger the wonderful plans.
    • Russia’s First Ever Radha-Krishna Deities Installed in Omsk
      On Radhastami—September 5th—around seven hundred devotees gathered in Omsk, Western Siberia for the installation ceremony of Sri-Sri Radha-Govinda, the first ever Radha-Krishna Deities to be installed in Russia.
    • Russian Federal Security Tries to Ban Bhagavad-gita As It Is
      Devotees in Tomsk, Siberia, are currently in court fighting an attempt by the Russian Federal Security Service to prove that Srila Prabhupada’s Bhagavad-gita As It Is is an extremist literature that should be banned.
    • Sannyasa Initiation in Moscow
      A well-known ISKCON preacher from Moscow Carudesna Das has been initiated to highest spiritual rank in hinduism, the renounced sannyasa order. The new Russian sannyasi Bhaktivedanta Sadhu Swami (nee Enver Izmailov) was born in Grozny (Chechnya), July 1, 1967 into the family of Soviet intelligentsia. He is the third sannyasi among the Russian Hare Krishna followers.
    • Moscow Devotees Celebrate 40th Anniversary of Prabhupada’s Visit
      One thousand devotees from all over Russia gathered in Moscow for an eight-day festival from June 12th to 19th this summer, celebrating the fortieth anniversary of ISKCON Founder Srila Prabhupada’s first and only visit to the city.
    • Russia's Church, Lawmakers Want to Limit Abortion
      Russia's Orthodox Church teamed with Conservative parliamentarians Monday to push legislation that would radically restrict abortions in a nation struggling to cope with one of the world's lowest birthrates.
    • Old Sanskrit Scriptures Speak In Russian since 40 Years
      The Moscow National Book Fair "Books of Russia 2011" took place on March 16-21 at the Russian Exhibition Center. For the third time in the last two years, Vaisnavas of Moscow Yatra participated in the event.
    • ISKCON Russia Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary

      On February, 12th and 13th ISKCON Russia celebrated its 40th anniversary. It was in the summer of 1971, when ISKCON founder A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896-1977) visited Moscow, and started to teach and spread the science of Krishna-consciousness in the former Soviet Union.

    • Russia to Launch Muslim TV Channel
      Russia will soon launch a Muslim television channel in the hope it will foster tolerance after the capital saw some of the worst clashes since the fall of the Soviet Union.
    • Vaishnava Care: A Russian Tale of True Christmas Spirit
      During this time of year, we are all aware to some degree of the idea of “Christmas spirit,” of making some endeavor to give to others in the season of goodwill. But few of us embody this caring spirit as much as a quiet, uncelebrated group of Russian devotees did this winter.
    • New Moscow Mayor Approves Five-Acre Plot for Krishna Temple
      Russian authorities have finally allocated land for the construction of a Krishna temple in a northern suburb of Moscow, after many years of petitioning from the ISKCON and Hindu communities.
    • Three Russian Book Distributor Devotees Die in a Car Crash

      On November 29, three Vaishnavas from Nizhniy Novgorod, Russia died in a car accident. The devotees - Ananga Mohan Das, Adhi Yagya Das and Bhakta Lev Khramilov - were in a hurry to Izhevsk, taking part with enthusiasm in the traditional Srila Prabhupada book distribution marathon.

    • Farewell To Purnacandra Goswami
      In the hall of goodbyes of the crematorium they started a kirtan that has never been heard in that place before. Srimati Gauri amazed with her singing the workers of the crematorium whose hearts have hardened with the everyday sight of death.
    • Moscow`s Mayor Wants Hearings on Religious Construction
      The acting mayor of the Russian capital, Vladimir Resin, called for holding public hearings on all construction projects for churches, mosques and synagogues. That is a plan that could threaten existing relationships between Moscow's government and the Moscow Patriarchate.
    • ISKCON Russia`s Second Sannyasi
      On the 3rd of July, almost two thousand devotees gathered for a festival celebrating the 17th anniversary of the installation of the Deities at Moscow`s Leningradskiy Prospect temple. They also became witnesses to the rare event of a sannyasa initiation – that of the second Russian devotee accepting the renounced order of life.
    • Russia: Outdoor Religious Activity Harassed, Banned and Violently Attacked
      Outdoor public religious activity by Russian Jehovah's Witnesses, Hare Krishna devotees and Protestants has resulted in harassment by the police, repeated bans, and in one case a refusal to defend a Protestant meeting against violent attack involving stun grenade.
    • Moscow Ratha Yatra Promotes Healthy Lifestyle
      Last Sunday, visitors of Moscow`s Russian Exhibition Center encountered an unusual sight: a richly decorated chariot moving around in the flowery central park. The previous Ratha Yatra took place here exactly fifteen years ago, in the summer of 1995. This year, the ancient Indian Festival aimed to attract the attention of the people in Moscow to the importance of healthy life-style.
    • Future Moscow Teachers Learn Religious Xenophobia
      Students of the Moscow City Pedagogical University are being taught that charismatic churches, Jehovah's Witnesses, "The International Society of Krishna Consciousness" and other religious associations are "sects," a Portal-credo.ru correspondent reports.
    • Design for Moscow’s New Temple Finalized
      After years of negotiating with the government and handling protests from conservative Orthodox Church groups, Hare Krishna devotees are finally completing design work on ISKCON Russia’s new mega-project.
    • Celebrating Culinary Victory in Russia
      Volunteers from “Food for Life” Charity Fund participated in ‘Victory Day’ celebrations in Russia on the 9th of May by distributing three thousand portions of porridge to veterans of the Second World War.
    • Moscow Devotees Meet With Joy at Book Fair
      After a hiatus, devotees in the Russian capital again participated in the popular event.
    • President of India Meets With Russian ISKCON Devotees
      During an official visit to Moscow to commemorate Russia’s “Year of India” this September, Indian president Pratibha Devisingh Patil met with a delegation of Russian ISKCON devotees.
    • ISKCON Moscow Deities Go Sightseeing
      On Friday August 28, ISKCON Moscow’s Sri Sri Dayal Nitai-Saci-suta deities were taken out to see the sights of Russia’s capital city for the first time in over seventeen years. Riding on a canal-cruiser barge, they traveled down the Moskva river, with beautiful views of Moscow landmarks such as Red Square, Temple of Christ the Saviour, Park of Culture and Moscow State University.
    • Russian ISKCON Temple Given Ultimatum to Vacate Premises
      Hare Krishnas of Vladimir city received an ultimatum to vacate their place of worship by September 1st 2009. A U.S. Congress-backed panel has included Russia on its Watch List of countries where people’s religious freedoms are at risk.
    • Moscow Officials Visit ISKCON's Janmastami Celebration
      ISKCON Moscow has celebrated Janmastami since 1988, but this year several local dignitaries expressed their support by attending the celebrations despite the bad weather. On the 14th of August ISKCON Moscow was visited for the first time by the new administrator of Northern Moscow.
    • Moscow Politician Supports Proposed ISKCON Temple

      The Hare Krishnas will finally get a long-sought-after temple if Oleg Mitvol, former environmental crusader and now prefect of the Northern Administrative District, gets his way. At a meeting with Dzhkha Sandzhit, the president of the Association of Indians in Russia, Mitvol said that a Hare Krishna temple would be built in the Molzhaninovsky area, 10 kilometres outside the Moscow Ring Road in the north of Moscow.

    • Russia: ISKCON’s Freedom Fighters
      As the four-thousand-strong crowd began to disperse, Yasomatinandana Dasa and other Russian ISKCON leaders sighed happily and thanked Lord Krishna for the festival’s success. It was the 17th anniversary of Moscow’s Sri Sri Dayal-Nitai Sacisuta deities, and over the weekend of June 6th and 7th, they had held a huge Ratha Yatra procession with a special self-propelled vehicle—the only one in the world to have a registered state number.
    • RUSSIA: Widespread Protests at New "Inquisition"

      The appointment of renowned "anti-cultists" and controversial scholars of Islam to a government body allocated sweeping powers to investigate religious organisations has provoked an unprecedented outcry from many religious representatives and human rights defenders, Forum 18 News Service notes. Particularly striking opposition to the Justice Ministry's Expert Council for Conducting State Religious-Studies Expert Analysis has come from the Union of Old Believer Theologians, a group not directly threatened.

    • Russia Appoints "Anti-Cultists" to Religious Investigation Board
      The appointment of renowned "anti-cultists" and controversial scholars of Islam to a Russian government body allocated sweeping powers to investigate religious organisations may prove the heaviest blow to religious freedom in a decade, Forum 18 News Service notes.
    • Former First Lady Wants Yoga in Every Russian Home
      Moscow (PTI): Russia's former First Lady Naina Yeltsina wants every home in the country to practice yoga for a healthy lifestyle. "I have been practicing yoga for last two years. I think it is indispensable for people above 50. It would be good if it was practiced in every Russian home," Naina Yeltsin, 77, said at a reception hosted here by the Indian Ambassador P P Shukla in honour of Yogacharya BKS Iyengar.
    • Russia: Krishnas Go Free, Activists Arrested

      On Sunday, five minutes after the protesters were taken away to the police precinct, about 50 Hare Krishnas walked in a formation down Nevsky Prospekt to a site in front of Gostiny Dvor, near to that of the thwarted rally, where they danced and chanted using an amplifier for 12 minutes. One police officer was present on the scene and said that the Hare Krishna event was authorized.

    • Indian Visas Restricted for Single Russian Females

      Visa restrictions for single women traveling to India; 2) Indian visas for Russian female singles; 3) Female, under 45? – No entry. In late December 2008, the Russian electronic media brought bad news for female tourists going to India. Reports were circulating that the Indian Embassy in Moscow stopped granting visas to single women under 45 years of age.

    • Russians Add a New Dimension to Vaishnava Education

      In 2008, a new Vaisnava training initiative was launched in the city of Sotchi on Russia’s Black Sea coast. Unlike many previous versions of bhakti-sastri curriculum (in depth classes on Gaudiya literature), the present course is based on interactivity and emphasizes practical application of knowledge as its main component.

    • Russian Hare Krishnas Celebrate the Birthday of Bhagavad Gita

      On the 9th of December, Moscow Hare Krishna followers celebrated the festival of Gita Jayanti, or the birthday of the Bhagavad Gita.

      The Gita Jayanti is celebrated all over India and other parts of the world on Ekadasi, the eleventh day of the lunar month of Margaseersha (December-January). It was on this day over 5000 years ago that Vedic King Dhritarastra heard the Bhagavad Gita as narrated by his secretary Sanjaya.

    • Moscow Celebrates First Ratha Yatra in Nine Years
      Russian ISKCON devotees celebrated Ratha Yatra in Moscow this June eighth for the first time in nine years. Held in conjunction with The Beatles And India festival in Gorky Park, the program featured a parade of the chariots along with a concert of popular Moscow groups covering Beatles’ songs. An impressive chariot was built for the deity of Jagannatha, the Lord of the Universe.
    • Residents Protest Building of Temple in Moscow

      Moscow, June 4, Interfax - Public protest against building a religious construction for the Moscow Society for Krishna Consciousness was held in the Molzhaninovo District of Moscow. Residents of neighboring districts came out to demonstrate their protest with slogans "Sects destroy families," "Say "no" to Krishna center!" "Protect Orthodoxy!"

    • Russian Students Welcome the Forbidden Archeologist
      Michael A. Cremo (Drutakarma Dasa), co-author of Forbidden Archeology, a book that questioned the scientific community's views on human origins, has recently returned from a Russian lecture tour promoting his latest work. Human Devolution: A Vedic Alternative to Darwin's Theory is no less of a controversy-baiter, and Cremo was ready for the opposition.
    • Spiritual Russian Embassy Established in Mayapur
      In March of last year, the GBC authorized The Spiritual Embassy of ISKCON CIS Countries, commonly known as the Russian Center, in Sridham Mayapur. December 2007 saw the birth of the Center and a bright future for the Russian ISKCON community.
    • Book Release: Salted Bread
      A new edition of Sarvabhavana's book Salted Bread, about the persecution of Russian and Armenian devotees in the early days of the Hare Krishna movement during the 1980s in the former USSR, is now available. The book contains a lot of information about the publication and distribution of Srila Prabhupada's first books under the former communist government.
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