View source for Union of Slavic Communities of the Slavic Native Faith

{{infobox religious group
|group=Union of Slavic Communities of the Slavic Native Faith
|religions=[[Slavic Native Faith]]
|regions=[[Slavic Native Faith in Russia|Russia]], [[Slavic Native Faith in Ukraine|Ukraine]], [[Belarus]]{{sfn|Popov|2016|loc=ch. 4.5. Slavic folk religion (rodnovery)}}
|languages=Russian
|pop=~3000
|founder=[[Vadim Kazakov]]
|website=http://rodnovery.ru/
}}
{{Slavic Native Faith}}
The '''Union of Slavic Communities of the Slavic Native Faith''' ([[acronym]]: '''USC SNF'''; [[Russian language|Russian]]: ''Союз Славянских Общин Славянской Родной Веры'', Russian acronym: '''ССО СРВ''') is one of the largest [[Russia]]n organisations of [[Slavic Native Faith]] (Rodnovery) groups, established in 1997,<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.rodnovery.ru/en/documents/who-we-are |title= Who we are |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= 2015-11-22 |website= Rodnovery.ru |access-date= 2017-09-17}}</ref> and officially recognised by the government in 2014 (becoming the first Rodnover organisation to be recognised by the Russian government).{{sfn|Skrylnikov|2016}}
==History==
In September 1993, in [[Kaluga]], Vadim Kazakov, a student of [[Alexey Dobrovolsky]] (Dobroslav) (one of the founders of the Russian [[Rodnoverie]]), created the Kaluga Slavic Community. In addition to the Kaluga branch, the "Moscow Slavic Pagan Community" had branches in [[Kaliningrad]], [[Vladimir, Russia|Vladimir]], [[Izhevsk]], and [[Ryazan]]. Until the end of 1998, the [[Obninsk]] Vedic Community "Troyana", established in November 1993, was headed by the [[volkhv]] Bogumil (D. A. Gasanov) and closely cooperated with the Kaluga Community.{{sfn|Schnirelmann|2012}}
The Union of Slavic Native Belief Communities was established in 1997 by initiative of three constituent communities from [[Moscow]], [[Kaluga]] and [[Obninsk]]. On 19 July 1997<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ansobor.ru/articles.php?id=136 |title=Русское и украинское неоязычество |author=Геннадий Гоменюк |author2=Сергей Терещенко |website=Собор во имя святого благоверного великого князя Александра Невского |year=2003 |language=ru |access-date=2017-09-11}}</ref> Vadim Stanislavovich Kazakov from Kaluga's community<ref name="doroshenko">{{cite web |last=Дорошенко |first=Марианна |title=Славянское неоязычество |url=http://www.iriney.ru/sects/heathen/news009.htm |date=2004-03-17 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120804233955/http://www.iriney.ru/sects/heathen/news009.htm |archive-date=2012-08-04 |language=ru}}</ref> was elected as the leader of the USC SNB. In July 1999, Alexey Dobrovolsky was elected Supreme Volkhv. On 21 July 2011 Kazakov resigned and Maksim Ionov became his successor through a vote held by the ''[[veche]]'' (assembly) on 23 July.
Annually, on [[Perun]]'s Day (20 July) the "All-Slavic Veche" takes place in Kaluga. The assembly deals with issues including the further widening of the organisation, the cooperation with other organisations, and also the nominations of the chief and of the high priesthood. Hundreds of representatives of many Slavic communities scattered throughout Russia come to the yearly ''veche''.
In April 2011, the USC SNB bought a 4,77-hectares plot of land just five kilometres away from the city of Kaluga, on the left bank of the river Kaluzhka, located in the village of Krasotinka, with the purpose of building a temple.
In 2014, the USC SNB was officially registered by the government of Russia as an interregional organisation for the development of Slavic culture.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rodnovery.ru/dokumenty/moo-sso-srv |title=МОО ССО СРВ |date=2015-06-01 |website=Rodnovery.ru |language=ru |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606132902/http://www.rodnovery.ru/dokumenty/moo-sso-srv |archive-date=2017-06-06 |access-date=2015-07-25}}</ref>
On 22 June 2015, the day of summer solstice, the Temple of the Fire of Svarozich (Храм Огня Сварожича) was officially opened in the village of Krasotinka.
==Ideology==
The union claims to represent Slavic Native Faith (Rodnovery), that is to say the revival of [[historical Slavic religion]], upon which indigenous Slavic customs and traditions rely. The organisation aims at the consolidation of Slavic Native Faith communities across the different Slavic states, as well as the cooperation with non-Slavic [[modern Paganism|modern Pagan]] organisations in [[Europe]], the [[United States]] and [[Canada]].
The USC SNF requires believers in Slavic Native Faith to be genealogically Slavs.{{sfn|Skrylnikov|2016}}
==Constituent groups==
* Moscow Slavic Community "Svetoyariye"
* Moscow Slavic Community "Circle of the [[Vyatichi|Viatiches]]"
* Kaluga Slavic Community
* [[Oryol]] Slavic Community
* [[Balashov (town)|Balashov]] Slavic Community
* [[Stavropol]] Slavic Community "Slavic Heritage"
* [[Cherepovets]] Slavic Community "Gromnitsa"
* [[Novokuznetsk]] Slavic Community
* [[Anapa]] Slavic Community
* [[Ozersk]] Slavic Community
* [[Magnitogorsk]] Slavic Community
* [[Slavyansk-na-Kubani]] Slavic Community "Sventovid"
* [[Tambov]] Slavic Community "Zhiva"
* [[Smolensk]] Slavic Community "Morning of Svarog"
* [[Kemerovo]] Slavic Community "Goryuch Stone"
==Splinter organisations and cooperation==
Some organisations branched out of the Union of Slavic Native Faith Communities due to ideological differences. The original Obninsk and Moscow communities left the USC SNB in 2002, on the occasion of the Bittsa Accord,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170930132101/http://www.slavya.ru/docs/bitc_obr.htm Битцевское Обращение (Bittsa Accord)] proceedings.</ref> establishing the Circle of Pagan Tradition (CPT).{{sfn|Skrylnikov|2016}}
In 2009, the USC SNB, the CPT and the Circle of Veles issued a joint statement condemning [[Ynglism]].{{sfn|Skrylnikov|2016}} In 2012 the same three organisations signed an "Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Priests", which defined common criteria for the ordination of Slavic Native Faith's priesthood.{{sfn|Skrylnikov|2016}}
==See also==
* [[Rodnover Confederation]]
==References==
===Footnotes===
{{Reflist}}
===Sources===
* {{cite book |last=Kavykin |first=Oleg |title="Rodnovery". Self-identification of neo-pagans in modern Russia |lang=ru |publisher=Russian Academy of Sciences |location=Moscow |year=2007 |isbn=978-5-91298-017-6}}
* {{cite book |last=Popov |first=Igor |chapter=Ch. 4.5. Slavic folk religion (rodnovery) |title=Directory of all religious movements and associations in Russia |lang=ru |chapter-url=http://russiafaiths.blogspot.com/p/slavic-indigenous-religion.html |url=http://www.russiafaiths.blogspot.com/p/book-index.html |date=2016}}
* {{cite book |last=Schnirelmann |first=Victor |author-link=Victor Schnirelmann |date=2012 |title=Russian Rodnoverie: Neopaganism and Nationalism in Modern Russia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9bdgBwAAQBAJ |publisher=Biblical Theological Institute of St. Andrew the Apostle |page=xiv + 302 |isbn=978-5-89647-291-9 |lang=ru}}
* {{cite news |first=Pavel |last=Skrylnikov |date=20 July 2016 |title=The Church Against Neo-Paganism |website=Intersection |url=http://intersectionproject.eu/article/society/church-against-neo-paganism |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707165114/http://intersectionproject.eu/article/society/church-against-neo-paganism |archive-date=7 July 2017 }}
==External links==
* {{Commons category-inline|Union of Slavic Native Belief Communities}}
* [http://www.rodnovery.ru/ Official website]
{{Slavic Native Faith People and Organizations}}
{{Neopaganism}}
[[Category:Modern pagan organizations based in Russia]]
[[Category:Slavic neopaganism]]
[[Category:Modern pagan organizations established in 1997]]