Barricaded Doomsday Cult in Russia awaits end of world

MOSCOW — Self-declared prophet Pyotr Kuznetsov sent his followers underground to wait for the end of the world, which he said would come this spring.

On Friday, psychologists were negotiating with the doomsday cult members, who have sealed themselves in what officials described as a cave or a bunker in a snowy forest near the Volga River, threatening to blow themselves up if authorities intervene.

Stocked with food supplies and canisters of gasoline, the 29 people were waiting for the end of the world in the structure near Nikolskoye, a village in Penza region about 400 miles southeast of Moscow, regional spokesman Yevgeny Guseynov said.

"Any forceful action is dangerous," Guseynov said, but he said doctors and rescuers were near the structure's entrance and were trying to coax the cult members to leave.

The 29 people — including four children, one only 18 months old — were stocked with food and other supplies, including 100 gallons of gasoline they said they would ignite if authorities forced them out.

Kuznetsov — who did not himself join his followers in the cave — was undergoing psychiatric evaluation Friday, a day after he was charged with setting up a religious organization associated with violence, Guseynov said.