March 11, 2021

Intrigue at the Monastery


Intrigue at the Monastery
Siloviki gather outside one of the churches at the Sredneuralsk Monastery near Yekaturinburg on Friday March 26th. /Screenshot from Двач/Ньюсач on Telegram.

Last month, Russian riot police and members of the Russian National Guard Special Police Force huddled at the entrance to one of the churches of Sredneuralsk Monastery outside of Yekaturinburg. Their mission? Arresting a suspect in a 20-year-old murder case who was thought to be sheltering on monastery lands.

The monastery had already been embroiled in scandal back in December, when its Covid-denying patriarch Father Sergiy, who helped found the convent, took control. The Russian Orthodox Church had banned Father Sergiy from preaching after he accused them of “working with the forerunners of the antichrist” after closing Russian churches.

The Telegram channel "Двая/Ньюсач" (Dvach/Nyusach) published a video of the scene last Friday. Siloviki milled on the steps of the church in black helmets and bodysuits as women — presumably nuns — raised concerned voices alongside rapid clanging of the church’s bells.

The police had come to investigate the murder of three people. The case dates back to 1999 when three individuals were murdered in a situation involving robbery and illegal arms trafficking. Three more men were implicated, and two were identified and imprisoned. The third suspect disappeared from the investigation.

The Friday night raid targeted a man who had been convicted of theft in the past hiding in the monastery under the name of the monk Siluan. He fled the scene into the forest.

It is thought that there may be other criminals lying low in the monastery. Since monastic life means anonymity, several men are currently housing themselves beneath the roof of the convent — although, as practice would dictate, no one should be shacking up there for long. Even the priest who holds services at the nunnery goes home at the end of the day.

 

Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

Murder and the Muse
December 12, 2016

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955