In Moscow, police officers arrived at the Rassvet cultural centre, where the “Buddhist Festival of Good Fortune” was taking place, and detained several monks and festival organizers.
This was reported by the outlet Ostorozhno, Novosti.

The event had to be cancelled.

Eyewitnesses said that the reason for the raid may have been a book by Telo Tulku Rinpoche, Erdni Ombadykov, which was being sold at the fair. He previously held the position of Shajin Lama, the supreme head of Kalmykia, condemned the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and left Russia. He was later added to the register of foreign agents.

“But this is something strange, books by foreign agents can be sold in the Russian Federation. If there was no labeling, then it is just a fine. They would not drag everyone away,” eyewitnesses said.

The festival opened on 4 April in Moscow and was scheduled to run until 15 April.