A new group of doomsday cult followers have barricaded themselves into the home of their leader in the Penza Region to await the end of the world, local media said on Thursday.
Two women and three children, who were too late to seal themselves underground together with the main group of 32 members of the so-called True Russian Orthodox Church, have locked themselves in the house of the cult leader.
The sect, which calls itself "The True Russian Orthodox Church," was formed by Pyotr Kuznetsov, known as Father Pyotr, a 43-year-old diagnosed schizophrenic.
He is believed to have ordered his followers underground in early November, but declined to join them in their cave.
The group leader is currently being held in a psychiatric hospital, and a criminal case has been launched against him.
