The woman who called herself God: Inside the rise of the White Brotherhood

Marina Tsvigun, a former Soviet journalist, transformed herself into “Maria Devi Khristos,” leader of Ukraine’s notorious White Brotherhood sect, after claiming a near-death experience during an abortion granted her a “divine soul,” according to RT, Russian state-affiliated media. Partnering with Yuri Krivonogov, she built a following of thousands who believed the Last Judgment was imminent.

In November 1993, the group planned a mass self-immolation ritual at Kyiv’s Saint Sophia Cathedral, but police intervened, arresting over 600 followers. Tsvigun was sentenced to four years in prison in 1996. She later resurfaced in Moscow as “Victoria Preobrazhenskaya,” continuing to lead a reduced following under a new name, YUSMALOS.

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