On September 26, 2025, police officers in Tuapse, Russia, detained Indradyumna Swami while he was attending the Sadhu Sanga 2025 festival, which was organized by the Krasnodar yatra. The police officers’ reason for detainment was that he had engaged in religious and missionary activity without the proper documentation. However, the Krasnodar yatra had arranged a special humanitarian religious visa for him, specifically authorizing him to speak on religious topics at the festival. Despite this, the police required him to accompany them to the police station, where he was placed in a jail cell and held for two days. During his stay there, devotees were able to regularly bring him prasadam.
The hearing took place in Tuapse City Court on September 28, where he was represented by lawyers Maha-Balarama das (Moscow) and Vrinda Mataji (Krasnodar). The court ultimately found him guilty of lacking the proper documentation to preach in the Tuapse region in spite of the Swami’s having had the necessary documents to preach in the Krasnodar area, which includes the Tuapse region. Along with a fine of approximately $300 in local currency, he was ordered to leave the country voluntarily. The decision of the court will be appealed.
After the court order, Indradyumna Swami returned to the Sadhu Sanga event to say goodbye to the assembled devotees. The following day, he departed Russia for Vrindavan, India.
Read more: https://iskconnews.org/indradyumna-swami-briefly-detained-in-russia/
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