My story, told in my own words
For years, others have spoken about my life, my beliefs, and my past. Today, I want to tell my story myself—honestly and without fear.
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Forthcoming Book
Konstantin Rudnev Breaks His Silence
In his first exclusive interview with the international press, Konstantin Rudnev candidly answers the toughest questions about his past, the allegations, his time in prison, and his spiritual mission.
Answers to the questions about my past
I understand that many people may have questions about my past, the allegations against me, and the years I spent in prison. Many visit this site for the first time wondering, “What happened to Konstantin Rudnev?” after hearing crime stories, reading articles about the Rudnev case, or learning about controversies involving a spiritual teacher.
I believe that sincere questions deserve sincere answers. This section was created for those who want to learn about my story and my spiritual journey firsthand, without distortions, fear, or prejudice.
Konstantin Rudnev
If you had to explain in five minutes who you really are—without the media’s labels or other people’s interpretations—what would you say?
A person who is socially conscious and who cares about what is happening in the world.
Why have there been so many serious conflicts and allegations surrounding their activities over the years? What do you think is the root cause of all this?
Because I always tell the truth and speak my mind directly. Those in power don't like this, and that's why they're persecuting me.
Are there people who sincerely feel they have been harmed by their association with you? How do you explain your position?
So far, no one has been found to have actually been harmed. It was all based on accusations fabricated by the police.
Even if we look at the criminal proceedings themselves, the alleged victim simply left her home. And that’s why they’re accusing me: because an adult who is legally independent decided to leave her home.
They accuse me of things as absurd as this. That's the caliber of the so-called victims.
What could be considered the main idea of his teachings, and which part of it is the hardest for people to accept?
The main message of this teaching is: Hurry to do good. People should be kind and strive to do more good deeds for those around them by helping others.
What they didn't like were my political statements—for example, my opposition to the war and to other things promoted by Putinism and the Putin regime. They don't like that, and that's why they launched a campaign against me.
They began persuading various people and offering them money to write things against me and make up stories. They produced videos and television shows. That's where all this commotion came from.
They wanted to discredit me so that people wouldn't listen to me, because I was telling the truth. I spoke out against the regime, and many people in positions of power didn't like that. First and foremost, Putin himself.
If I had to start all over again, what would I do differently?
It would probably be even more true.
Were there times when you doubted whether the path you had chosen was the right one? If so, during what periods did that happen?
Those were the times when I was imprisoned. Back then, I thought about how difficult that situation was for my loved ones, and I wondered if it had been right to speak so much truth.
I wondered if I had done the right thing by causing my loved ones so much suffering, by ending up in prison because of my love for the truth. I felt pain for them.
In your opinion, where do you think the line is drawn between spiritual leadership and dependence on followers?
The limit lies in the followers' own perception. There are people who are looking for someone to depend on, someone to follow. Such people exist, and in a way, they themselves want to be under someone's influence.
But I'm not responsible for that. Their minds are structured in such a way that they need to follow someone, to go after someone.
For my part, I tried to treat them as loyally as possible and not impose anything on them. I tried to teach them kindness and love toward those around them.
Even if there were people who fell under some kind of influence, thanks to that influence they became kinder, more loving, and more aware.
How do you feel about the governments and institutions that are persecuting you?
I feel compassion and pity for them, because they are ignorant people who don't know what they're doing.
They do not understand how they are worsening their karma, how they are destroying life on Earth, or what the consequences of their political decisions, their actions, their persecution, and their violence will be.
That's why I feel sorry for them. And I feel even more compassion for those who become their victims.
If an independent international commission were to investigate your activities in a completely open manner, would you be willing to provide the utmost transparency, including financial information and internal policies?
Yes, of course. Then, finally, justice would prevail, and all those terrible false accusations and slanders against me would be dispelled.
If you had the opportunity to address a wide audience directly, without intermediaries, what would you say about your mission as a person—not as a leader?
People need to become kinder and love one another more. Then we ourselves will feel good and remain in an elevated and harmonious state.
It will also be beneficial for those around us. They, too, will remain in a more loving and kind state.
There will be more love, more kindness, more peace, more tranquility, and more harmony. Life on Earth will become better and brighter.
In the 21st century, one group of sectarians fights against another group of sectarians to assert that only their own sect can claim a monopoly on God. This is the reality we face: whenever a certain divine figure comes into the earthly world, that person can immediately and easily be labeled a sectarian. That is what they did to Christ two thousand years ago, and that is exactly what they have done to the Master today, right here in the 21st century.
State religions have fallen into disrepute, and governments use religion to influence the masses.
Politicians are fighting against the authentic teachings that are emerging today, even though Christianity, Islam, and Buddhism were also “new” teachings in their time.
Christ denounced the Pharisees. Buddha called on people to meditate rather than engage in wars and devote themselves solely to commerce. In the same way, our teachings denounce modern-day hypocrisy.
That is why these teachings are not well received: they interfere with established interests. Instead, governments impose their own ideology more forcefully and subject people to a steady stream of information.
New religious movements are labeled “cults” because they hinder political control and oppose it.
That is why they are persecuted.
It took 325 years before Christ—who was considered a heretic in his own time—was recognized as God. To understand this, one need only consider how Christ was perceived by his contemporaries. Among them were Tacitus, Pliny the Younger, and Celsus. So, how did the people of his time view Christ?
True Christianity existed only in the beginning, while Christ and the apostles were still alive.
Later, when Christ died and the apostles were killed, Christianity became a state religion and ceased to be true Christianity.
Can we imagine true Christianity organizing the Inquisition?
Can we imagine it giving rise to the Crusades?
Christianity is a teaching based on love and forgiveness. How, then, could it have led to the Inquisition and the Crusades?
It became completely distorted when people began to claim that sins could be atoned for through the sale of indulgences and other similar practices. At that point, it ceased to be true Christianity.
An authentic teaching exists only as long as it remains a sect—that is, a small, independent spiritual movement. When it becomes a state religion, it ceases to be true.
It becomes a political tool—a simple means by which those in power influence the masses. The same applies to Hinduism and Buddhism.
The reality of life is that people are easily influenced by words and generally lack a personal perspective of their own. Even God is often nothing more than a verbal concept. A person has read something somewhere or heard something from someone else, but lacks a personal understanding. For someone like that, God is simply a collection of different opinions drawn from various sources, while their own direct insight is completely absent.
When we talk about a teaching, it would be better to leave out the word “God,” because it steers the conversation in a different direction.
Instead of saying “God,” it would be clearer to talk about Christianity, Islam, or Buddhism. The word “God” causes confusion, whereas we need a precise definition. We are talking about a teaching, not about God.
An authentic teaching existed as long as its founder and his closest disciples were still alive. But when it became a state religion, no one was truly interested in preserving and passing on its original meaning. It became a matter of politics.
Politics is always linked to oppression, terror, and violence. That is why, under the banner of Christianity—a teaching based on love—acts were committed that are completely inconceivable within authentic Christianity.
“Love your neighbor.” “Love your enemies.” And yet they organized the Crusades, carried out the Inquisition, and sold indulgences.
This would be a more accurate way to reflect on this issue.