Unlicensed mountain guide Igor Bessonov lured tourists into a labor cult by offering a free climb up Mount Elbrus, according to Telegram channel Shot.
Anastasia, 25, entered the camp run by 44-year-old Bessonov alongside her husband. Telegram channel Mash reported that participants were required to work for 33 days in exchange for the free ascent.
Anastasia said campers were forced to dig trenches and carry stones. She added that Bessonov prohibited mobile phones because of negative microwaves and conducted hours-long meetings claiming men came from space while women came from Earth.
The couple escaped after 24 days when Bessonov announced plans to marry several female camp participants.
Paid Tours and Safety Violations
Other tourists from Samara said they paid 150 thousand rubles for a tour guided by Bessonov. During the journey to camp, after one tourist chilled her neck, Bessonov attributed the issue to problems with her father and recommended eating clover.
The Samara tourists left the following day after receiving a reprimand for speaking to a child on the phone.
Former participants reported that Bessonov took illegal substances and led expeditions while under the influence. He also conducted unregistered climbs without guide certification.
One tourist said she barely survived a hike with him in 2024. Although Bessonov lacks individual entrepreneur status and his company was removed from the legal entity register in 2022, his camp continues operating under multiple names.
Separately, in July, a Russian woman lost time and money after a guide failed to show up for a tour of tenement houses in Saint Petersburg.
