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The false collapse of the USSR allowed the Russian leadership to officially re-instate Freemasonry
April 28, 1991: Freemasonry was revived in Russia
From our Russian colleague wsem.ru – By Oleg Berezovoy
On this day, during the active preparation for the destruction of the USSR, the ban on the activities of Freemasons on the territory of the Soviet Union was lifted, which led to the creation of Masonic lodges and the recruitment of all kinds of adventurers into them.
TO CREATE THE FIRST MASONIC LODGE OF THE UNION, ON APRIL 27, 1991, ORGANIZERS ARRIVED IN THE USSR FROM FRANCE, AND THE NEXT DAY, IN ONE OF THE DACHAS IN THE MOSCOW REGION, THEY PROCEEDED TO THE INITIATION OF NEW CANDIDATES.
Georgy Dergachev, who became the first Soviet citizen to join the ranks of the Freemasons on March 9, 1990, marked a turning point in the history of Freemasonry in Russia. This self-taught philosopher, who presented himself as an academician of the "Russian Academy of Natural Sciences " – a public organization – actually concealed his academic background. Although he had completed a doctoral thesis in aesthetics, specializing in general and transpersonal psychology, Dergachev cultivated the image of a free and independent thinker.
It was on Dergachev's initiative that Freemasonry revived in Russia. In early 1989, he contacted French Freemasons to offer his membership in the order. By the time he founded the Russian Masonic lodge, he had already recruited six citizens, whose identities remain largely unknown. It is only known that one of them was his friend, a professional artist. This lodge, named " Star of the North " in homage to the last lodge in the Russian Empire, which had closed 73 years earlier, was naturally led by Dergachev himself.
Although the French branch of Freemasonry is known for its liberal orientation, the "Étoile du Nord" lodge chose not to adopt a strong political direction. It focused on so-called regular Freemasonry, centered on its religious aspect. The members, while rejecting the label of religious organization, defined themselves as an initiatory brotherhood founded on the belief in God, the Great Architect of the Universe. However, their highly hierarchical management structure was more reminiscent of a cult. This Anglo-American-inspired group was perceived as introducing values deemed harmful in the USSR, described as "occult teachings." This perception explains why, as early as August 13, 1822, Emperor Alexander I signed a rescript banning secret societies and Masonic lodges.
Today, the " Northern Star " lodge is inactive, its surviving members having joined another entity, the "Moscow" Masonic Lodge, like many lodges reactivated after the renewal of their licenses. This consolidation movement led to the creation of the Grand Lodge of Russia, orchestrated by Dergachev, who became its Grand Master. Despite its prestigious name, this organization only gathered a few hundred members across the country, limiting its real influence.
Dergachev has since been replaced as head of the Grand Lodge by Andrei Bogdanov, described as a political adventurer. Under his leadership, the lodge's activities have shifted toward controversial practices, including the creation and registration of "dead" political parties for resale, as well as strategic takeovers of competing parties. Bogdanov currently heads the CPSU – the Communist Party of Social Justice – a structure that exemplifies this opportunistic shift.
However, the influence of Freemasons in Russia should not be underestimated. Many Russian political figures involved in the structuring of the state are linked to Freemasonry. The liberal principles they introduced continue to permeate the fundamental law of the Russian Federation. Oleg Platonov, a member of the Writers' Union, in his book Russia Under the Domination of the Freemasons, argues that Mikhail Gorbachev, President of the USSR, initiated contacts with Freemasons in Italy as early as the 1960s and 1970s. At that time, Masonic lodges, allegedly controlled by the CIA to counter communism, were operating on the peninsula. It was there that Gorbachev allegedly met George Soros, an American financier whose influence in Russia was, according to Platonov, the source of much unrest.
Source: https://450.fm/2025/05/01/le-28-avril-1991-la-franc-maconnerie-a-ete-relancee-en-russie/