Religious and Cultural Dimension of the "Ringing Cedars of Russia" Movement in the Context of Hybrid Warfare

Authors

Oleksandr Lukyanenko, Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical UniversityFollow
Vitaly Dmytrenko, Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University
Vita Dmytrenko, Poltava V. G. Korolenko National Pedagogical University

Author ORCID Identifier

Oleksandr Lukyanenko:

ORCID 0000-0002-6228-6695

Vitaly Dmytrenko:

ORCID 0000-0002-3055-9812

Vita Dmytrenko:

ORCID 0000-0002-9005-2263

Abstract

The article is devoted to a comprehensive religious analysis of the neo-religious movement “The Ringing Cedars of Russia,” based on the works of Vladimir Megre and the image of the prophetess Anastasia. The study covers the ideological and doctrinal foundations of the movement, its socio-cultural practices, the functioning of tribal settlements, as well as mechanisms of influence on individual and collective consciousness. Particular attention is paid to the concepts of “Vedrussia”, the sacralization of “Russian space” and the mythologization of Russia’s calling to revive the “primitive civilization of harmony.” The analysis shows that the movement, while declaring ecological and humanistic goals, simultaneously reproduces key narratives of the ideology of the “Russian world”: the idea of supra-ethnic unity, the construction of “true” spirituality, centralized on the Russian cultural and historical matrix, as well as the messianic discourse on the role of Russia in the world  future. The use of the movement’s rhetoric in Russia’s information and psychological operations within the framework of the hybrid war against Ukraine is separately examined: undermining trust in state institutions, romanticizing the “return to the land,” critical attitude toward modern European identity, and the formation of a hidden pro-Russian subjectivity under the guise of eco-spirituality. The article demonstrates that “The Ringing Cedars of Russia” function not only as a neo-religious movement, but also as an instrument of cultural influence and the spread of imperial ideology under the guise of a “natural” worldview.

Recommended Citation

Lukyanenko, Oleksandr; Dmytrenko, Vitaly; and Dmytrenko, Vita (2026) "Religious and Cultural Dimension of the "Ringing Cedars of Russia" Movement in the Context of Hybrid Warfare," Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 46 : Iss. 2 , Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55221/2693-2229.2727
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol46/iss2/4