Holy Rus (, '' Svyataya Rus'') is a Russian Orthodox Christian organisation in

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

, headed by Ivan Otrakovsky. The organisation established an Orthodox Christian patrol squad in August 2012 in order to protect Christian churches from

desecration Desecration is the act of depriving something of its sacred character, or the disrespectful, contemptuous, or destructive treatment of that which is held to be sacred or holy by a group or individual. Overview Many consider acts of desecration t ...

vandal The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vandal ...

s, informing the police or stopping the criminal if necessary. In addition, the squads also deal with individuals who sneer at

priests A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, ...

. The leader of the group, Ivan Otrakovsky, stated that: Holy Rus stated that its patrol squads will also target individuals insulting God or displaying

sacrilegious Sacrilege is the violation or injurious treatment of a sacred object, site or person. This can take the form of irreverence to sacred persons, places, and things. When the sacrilegious offence is verbal, it is called blasphemy, and when physical ...

symbols, such as an

inverted cross The inverted cross, also known as the upside-down cross, is a symbol that has been used in both Christian and anti-Christian contexts. Historically, it is most commonly associated with Saint Peter, who, according to tradition, was crucified upsi ...

. There are currently seven volunteer squads operating in Russia and the number is expected to grow. "Blasphemy, heresy, defilement and lechery" are offences that Holy Rus will aim to curb.

References

{{reflist Religious organizations based in Russia Neighborhood watch organizations Christianity and society Eastern Orthodoxy and far-right politics Far-right politics in Russia Russian Orthodox Church in Russia Blasphemy Desecration