Konstantin Rudnev, the founder of the Russian cult “Ashram Shambala,” was arrested in Argentina on suspicion of human trafficking, local publication Infobae reports. In Russia, Rudnev had served 11 years in prison for rape, molestation, the sale of narcotic drugs, and the creation of an organization that infringes on the rights of citizens. He was released from prison in 2021.
Argentine police detained Rudnev on Mar. 28 at the airport in Bariloche as he was about to board a flight to Buenos Aires as part of an itinerary that would have taken him to Sao Paulo, Brazil. According to Infobae, when Rudnev saw police officers approaching him, he tried to slit his throat with a blade hidden in his wallet. Сocaine was found in his luggage. Rudnev was traveling in the company of six Russian women. Argentine media said the women looked haggard, with signs of malnutrition and progressive hair loss. Investigators believe the women may be victims of the cult leader.
The investigation into Rudnev's activities began on Mar. 22 following a complaint by a doctor at Hospital Ramon Carillo in Bariloche. He reported the strange behavior of a 22-year-old pregnant Russian woman. She looked much younger than her age and came to all consultations accompanied by two compatriots who always spoke for her. Two Russian women, aged 40 and 44, were detained by the police after they brought the young woman to the hospital to deliver a baby. One of them tore up a document on which the medics had written down the name of the baby's father. According to Infobae, the mother and her newborn son are in the hospital under police guard.
Following the arrest of the two women, police conducted a series of searches in Bariloche as part of an effort to find evidence of Rudnev's presence. The cult leader had been living in Argentine Patagonia in the company of Russian women and teaching yoga. Several other arrests were made in Bariloche and Buenos Aires. At the moment, the case is known to involve 15 defendants. Three of them are men with Russian passports. Among the female defendants, there are Russian, Mexican, and Brazilian nationals.
Konstantin Rudnev founded the Ashram Shambala sect in Novosibirsk in 1989. By 2010, when he was arrested, cells of the movement were operating throughout Russia, including in Moscow and St. Petersburg. The number of its members was estimated at between 10,000 and 20,000. Its doctrine, invented by Rudnev, is a mixture of occult practices, shamanism, and yoga. Members of his cult were subjected to forced starvation and sleep deprivation, gang raped, and exposed to drugs. Neophytes were required to donate their property to the sect. Rudnev called himself a messiah and an alien from Sirius. When members of the movement lost their teeth due to malnutrition, they were assured that very soon they would not need them, as the “enlightened ones” would learn to feed on divine energy.
The last time news about Konstantin Rudnev came was in October 2024 — from Montenegro, where police discovered an Ashram Shambala cell in a hotel. The sectarians used the location to film “ritual porn.” Montenegro placed Rudnev on its wanted list.
Earlier, the leader of a cult-like group linked to several murders was arrested in Maryland. Ziz, 34, a transgender woman documented as Jack Amadeus LaSota, was arrested in Frostburg, about halfway between Pittsburgh and Washington, DC. LaSota faces charges of trespassing on private property, illegal possession of weapons, and obstruction of justice.