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Samara Court Sentences Volya Founder Lada-Rus in Absentia to Eight Years

The case was heard in absentia behind closed doors because she has been on an international wanted list since 2016.

Overview

  • Svetlana Lada-Rus (Peunova) was convicted by the Neftegorsky District Court of creating organizations that infringed on citizens’ rights, large-scale fraud, and causing grievous harm by negligence.
  • The court set an eight-year term in a general-regime penal colony, according to the regional prosecutor’s office.
  • Prosecutors say she led groups they describe as destructive communities that pressured followers to abandon civic duties and used rituals to exert influence.
  • Case materials detail victims’ property losses, including an office and a Nissan vehicle allegedly obtained through deception.
  • Her movement and party were previously banned as extremist and she was labeled a foreign agent in 2023, while several associates were sentenced in late October in related prosecutions.