Russia adds Satanic Temple to list of 'undesirable' groups for 'occult ideology'
The Russian government has labeled The Satanic Temple an "undesirable" organization that has the support of the United States.
Russia's Prosecutor General's Office announced the designation Wednesday in a statement accusing The Satanic Temple (TST) of promoting "occult ideology" and using Satanic symbols to "discredit traditional spiritual and moral values."
Russian authorities also claimed the organization spreads "destructive pseudo-theological ideas" and justifies violence, an allegation a TST co-founder has denied.
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Additionally, the statement alleged that the group, based in the United States, receives support from U.S. government agencies and is involved in fundraising efforts to support the "Armed Forces of Ukraine."
"The Satanic Temple actively supports participants of extremist and terrorist movements, speaks negatively about the special military operation [in Ukraine], and calls for the overthrow of the constitutional order in Russia," the Prosecutor General's Office said.
In a post on his Substack, co-founder Lucien Greaves stated that the organization doesn't support "extremists or terrorists" and assured that it has never called for government reform in Russia.
"But there is nothing subjective about the claim that we were ever fundraising for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This is a flat lie," he wrote. "When Russia invaded Ukraine, we fundraised to relocate members of The Satanic Temple away from the war and into safety. It defies credibility to imagine that anybody could possibly have truly mistaken that effort for a fundraising effort for Ukrainian Armed Forces."
Greaves questioned the government's use of the term "occult" and said that the group "does not promote any belief in the supernatural."
"It is difficult to know if these accusations even attempt to mischaracterize anything that can be found in reality, or if the Prosecutor General's Office simply made them up," Greaves wrote.
Under Russian law, organizations labeled "undesirable" are required to dissolve, and any involvement with such organizations is illegal following an expansion of a 2015 law earlier this year.
Over 175 organizations have been designated as undesirable by the Russian government, including The Moscow Times and prominent human rights groups such as Memorial and the Free Russia Foundation.
Under its new status in Russia, TST joins other organizations that have been forced to cease operations in the country under the 2015 law, including the Church of Scientology and Jehovah's Witnesses.
The statement also claims the TST website "provides information on fundraising for the Ukrainian armed forces," in an apparent reference to the site's Ukraine relief page.
As part of an effort to "ensure TST members trying to flee can reach safety," the page says TST is "coordinating donations to pay for transport and accommodations, and strategically locating members who can physically aid refugees" in order to "assist our members who are caught in the conflict."
The page also features an inverted star symbol in the upper left corner along with a heart wrapped in the color of the Ukrainian flag. A transparent image of Baphomet, a satanic icon, can be seen in the background.
Russia has repeatedly depicted its invasion of Ukraine as nothing less than a battle waged against satanic forces.
In 2022, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia's objective in the war is to "stop the supreme ruler of Hell, whatever name he uses — Satan, Lucifer or Iblis."
In March, the World Russian People's Council, led by Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Kirill, approved a document declaring the Ukraine invasion a "holy war" and claimed Russia was tasked with "protecting the world from the onslaught of globalism and the victory of the West, which has fallen into Satanism."
While Russia's statement did not expand on its allegation that TST receives U.S. government support, a statement on the TST website claims it is "the only satanic religious organization recognized as a church by the IRS and the Federal Court System."
Founded in 2012 by Harvard graduates Greaves and Malcolm Jerry, TST bills itself as an advocate for secularism, individual liberties and the separation of church and state. While it uses blasphemous and satanic imagery, the group claims to be non-theistic and focuses on promoting values such as empathy, benevolence and opposition to tyrannical authority.
TST has chapters in several countries, including the U.S., Canada, Australia, Germany and Finland. Its worldwide membership is estimated to be over 10 million.
