PRESIDENTIAL ENVOY
USTINOV EXPRESSES
CONCERN OVER GROWTH OF NEW RELIGIONS IN SOUTH OF RUSSIA
Interfax-Religiia,
27 September 2019
The Russian presidential
envoy in the
Southern Federal District, Vladimir Ustinov, urged the regions
to intensify the
struggle with religious extremist organizations that are
continuing to expand
in the south of Russia.
"Special alarm is evoked
by the
spread among youth of aggressive nationalistic attitudes and
ideas of religious
and political extremism. One cannot but be concerned also by the
development of
activity of organizations representing the so-called 'new
religions.' As a
rule, these are totalitarian sects that are recruiting their
adherents among
youth," Ustinov said on Friday at a session of the council under
the
presidential envoy in Rostov-on-Don.
He noted that in the
Kuban and in
Volgograd and Rostov oblasts, representatives of a foreign
nongovernmental
organization have energetically conducted work for recruiting
young people.
In Rostov oblast before
May 2019, the
religious extremist organization of Jehovah's Witnesses, which
is banned in the
RF, has continued to function, freely distributing its
literature and actively
recruiting youth.
Ustinov called the
attention of security
agencies to a cell of Jehovah's Witnesses in the city of Yeysk,
whose members,
according to his information, "built a nest there" and "are
terrorizing the Orthodox church."
"It is entirely obvious
that we are
dealing with deliberate efforts of extremist organizations and
individuals
aimed at the subversive ideological development of youth and
encouraging them
in illegal activity," the presidential envoy added. (tr. by PDS,
posted 27
September 2019)
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