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Conspiracy thinking plays an important role in Russian culture. Contemporary Russian conspiracism inherits elements of the Cold War rhetoric, French anti‐Freemasonic literature, ideas of conservative Russian Orthodox thinkers and North American Christian writers. In today's Russia we see two distinct, although interconnected, types of conspiracy narratives—official and popular. Official narratives, which can be seen as a component of the new Russian ideology and civil religion, promote a patriotic sentiment in order to consolidate the nation and solidify political hierarchy through a sharp distinction between “traditional values” and the “depraved West.” Popular conspiracy narratives share similar characteristics but lean towards a thorough disbelief in institutions. From this perspective, elites worldwide, including Russia, participate in the conspiracy of governments and corporations. Because of this attitude, popular conspiracy narratives often conflict with official rhetoric even if at times official and popular narratives seem aligned.

Abstract:The article concentrates on the history of Astral Karate, its doctrine and sources. Astral Karate was a late-Soviet eclectic spiritual movement based on esoteric interpretations of martial arts and yoga. The term "Astral Karate" had spread in the 1980s thanks to spiritual leader and underground esoteric author Valery Averianov who called himself Guru Var Avera. On one hand, the movement reflected global tendencies, such as growing interest in Eastern cultures and spirituality, that characterized esoteric groups in the USSR as well as in the USA and Europe during this period. On the other hand, esoteric groups in the Soviet Union developed in isolation from European and American esoteric currents and under unique ideological and legal pressures. The combination of these factors contributed to the originality of late-Soviet esoteric currents and therefore makes Astral Karate an important object of academic inquiry, which helps us to understand the specifics of Soviet spirituality and its further developments in postSoviet states

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