**Russian Police Break Up Bizarre Ritual Where Women Were Buried Alive**

Police in Russia recently intervened in a disturbing ritual in a forest, rescuing two young women who had been buried alive in shallow graves as part of a ceremony intended to provide spiritual rebirth. The incident took place in the Leningrad region, where officers discovered the women wrapped in cloth and lying in holes dug into the ground.

According to reports from The Sun, the women’s heads were covered with wrappings, making them appear like mummies. They were pulled from graves approximately 20 inches deep. Both survived, though one was so weak upon being rescued that she could barely stand.

When police arrived on the scene, they encountered 13 more people sitting around a fire, some of whom had already dug holes for themselves and were waiting to be buried next. Officers arrested the group’s leaders—a man who identified himself as a shaman named Timur, and a woman, Yekaterina Koroleva, who helped organize the ceremony.

They reportedly made Timur dig out the two women he had previously buried before taking him and Koroleva into custody. Investigators found 13 additional followers nearby, all prepared to undergo the same dangerous ritual.

Koroleva, who ran the ceremony, tried to explain its purpose. She denied reports that participants had paid nearly $80 to be buried and insisted the women were able to breathe because their heads weren’t completely covered. “The essence of the ritual is essentially a kind of reset,” she said. “It’s a psychological trance ceremony where a person undergoes a complete reboot, a full cleansing. If someone has gone through certain life events or wants to be completely reborn—to fully change their life—they opt for this extreme form of burial.”

Many followers believed the ritual would help them start life anew or encounter Hel, the Norse goddess of death. Participants were wrapped in old rags before being placed in the ground, drawn by the promise of dramatic change through this hazardous ritual.

Police are currently determining what charges should be filed against Timur and Koroleva. Russian news outlet Novye Izvestia reports they could face up to seven years in prison. Traditionally, shamans claim to communicate with spirits and heal people through special ceremonies, but authorities say this group’s practices endangered lives.

Investigators are now working to establish whether those buried participated voluntarily or if they were coerced, echoing concerns raised in other cases involving cult leaders and their followers.

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*Featured image: Russian police officers at the scene of a forest ritual* (suggested for visual context)
https://wegotthiscovered.com/true-crime/shaman-forced-to-dig-out-two-women-hed-wrapped-and-buried-in-20-inch-graves-police-found-13-more-followers-waiting-for-their-turn/