The call of Anastasia

Members of the new age Anastasia movement espouse strong family values, farm small plots of land and try to educate their own children outside the public school system. Originating in Russia, the quasi-religious group has now spread to Germany, where there are more than a dozen Anastasia rural settlements. But are they more than just a harmless fringe group?

Reporter Johannes Dell returns to his native Germany to discover what the group stands for. He speaks to a former Anastasia member and to a German journalist who spent two years tracking the group. A government intelligence officer tells him why three German states have designated the group as extremist. As Johannes finds out, beyond their eco-friendly exterior, Anastasia members display sinister traits of racism, antisemitism and far-right ideologies.

Presenter: Johannes Dell
Producer: Mike Lanchin
A CTVC production for BBC World Service

(Photo: Anastasia-run cafe in the village of Weinrode, Germany, 2025. Credit: Mike Lanchin)