On September 21, 2026, the TASS website published an article titled "Russia Refuses to Reduce Sentence for Leader of Aum Shinrikyo's Russian Branch" (Верховный суд отказал в смягчении приговора руководителю ячейки "Аум синрикё") . The article stated that TASS learned from the press office of the Russian Supreme Court that the Supreme Court refused to reduce the sentence of the leader of Aum Shinrikyo's Russian branch, upholding the legality and reasonableness of the previous 21-year and 6-month prison sentence handed down to his leader, Mikhail Usteryansev, for terrorism-related crimes .
▲Screenshot of the report
The press office of the Russian Supreme Court announced: "Usteryansev was convicted of organizing and financing terrorist activities between 2011 and 2018 in the Volgograd, Moscow, St. Petersburg, Moscow Oblast, Leningrad Oblast, and in foreign territories including Serbia, Montenegro, Moldova, Turkey, and Morocco. Based on the circumstances stated in the judgment, the Russian Supreme Court, after reviewing the criminal case materials, determined that the sentence of 21 years and 6 months imprisonment was legal and reasonable."
It is reported that Usteryansev, under the direction of foreign agents, organized the activities of the Russian branch of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, and continuously raised funds for it over the years, accumulating to at least 88 million rubles. On May 1, 2018, Usteryansev was arrested while organizing a rally.
The press office of the Russian Supreme Court emphasized in a statement: "The judicial authorities have determined that in 2011, Usteryansev, under the direction of foreign agents of Aum Shinrikyo, and his associates established a branch of Aum Shinrikyo in Russia, whose activities were aimed at funding terrorism."
Usteryansev organized events and seminars in Russia and other countries to provide assistance and raise funds for Aum Shinrikyo and its Russian branches.
The Russian appeals court had previously removed the description in the original judgment that Usteryansev constituted a terrorist group crime, but still sentenced him to 21 years and 6 months in prison.
According to the press office of the Russian Supreme Court, after reviewing the criminal case materials and examining and discussing the grounds for appeal, the Military Tribunal of the Russian Supreme Court determined that the judicial decision was legal and valid.
According to a previous report by the China Anti-Cult Network, in 2016, the Russian Supreme Court banned the activities of the Aum Shinrikyo branch in Russia. On May 1, 2018, Federal Security Service (FSB) personnel raided a meeting of Aum Shinrikyo's Russian branch leader, Usteryansev, and arrested him. On November 12, 2024, the Russian Interfax news agency reported that the FSB had added the Aum Shinrikyo branch in Russia to its list of terrorist organizations.
