Kathrine Frich
An exiled spiritual healer has become one of the most unusual opposition figures challenging the Kremlin during the war in Ukraine.
Despite years of criminal cases, bans and censorship, Svetlana Lada-Rus still commands a loyal movement inside Russia, with supporters involved in some of the country’s most visible anti-government protests.
Hidden influence
According to reporting by The Moscow Times, Lada-Rus has gained influence among regional activists, anti-war campaigners and communities protesting local authorities.
Her followers have appeared in demonstrations linked to mobilized soldiers, Siberian farming disputes and protests in Russia’s Altai republic.
Though critics dismiss her as a fringe figure, she continues to attract large online audiences through Telegram, YouTube and other social platforms while living outside Russia.
Radical beliefs
Lada-Rus shares long voice recordings with followers discussing politics, Soviet history and global conspiracies.
“We are sitting in a car that is speeding into the abyss. Time is working against us. Nuclear, atomic war is being planned and there must be a force that will stand up to it,” she said in one recent message cited by The Moscow Times.
In the same recording, she praised Soviet ruler Josef Stalin and repeated conspiracy theories involving Western intelligence agencies and Jewish groups.
“Don’t say anything bad about the Tsar, about Stalin, about Lenin or about Brezhnev, that’s a great sin,” she told listeners.
From healer to politician
Born in Soviet Azerbaijan in 1958 and raised in Samara, Lada-Rus first worked as a music teacher before opening a healing center in the 1990s.
Under her former name Svetlana Peunova, she built a large following through alternative medicine before launching several unsuccessful election campaigns, including a presidential bid in 2011.
Russian authorities later outlawed her Volya political movement as extremist and accused her organization of functioning as a “destructive community.”
Supporters targeted
At least 27 supporters of Lada-Rus have faced pressure from Russian security services in recent years, according to open-source data reviewed by The Moscow Times.
One of her best-known allies, Altaian activist Aruna Arna, defended her publicly during last year’s protests.
“Who else will expose the colonizers and defend the country and its people without giving excuses like ‘I have a family, children, work. I can’t do it.’ Who? Who will stand up for Russia at the cost of their well-being and life?” Arna wrote.
“This is a nightmare! This is simply outrageous! Where are you, all the understanding, courageous and honest people? Speak out in defense of Lada-Rus!” she later added.
Sources: The Moscow Times
