Ushkovayzet
Ushkovayzet were an Evangelical group of Eastern [Orthodox Church|Orthodox Christian] Baltic Finns in Russia. The missionary activity of the Laestadians had significant influence on its formation. Like the Laestadians, the Ushkovayzet did not leave their original Christian communities. Supporters of the movement often stayed within existing Orthodox congregations. However, their focus was largely on Evangelical methods such as lay-preaching, translating the Gospel into the vernacular, and so on.
History
The movement emerged in Northern Russia in the early 19th century. The movement's founders were the Karelian boxmakers Grigory Bogdanov and Semyon Pyalliev, and the Finns Karl, David and Johan Tauriainen. In the mid-1870s, it gained prominence in the village of Ukhta. Their teachings spread amongst the Orthodox Karelian population and elsewhere in the Kemsky District, where the village is located. In Ukhta and Voynitsa, there were at least 500 followers of the movement.In Ukhta on 18 August 1879, provincial authorities arrested six people: two residents of Ukhta named Alexei Pyalliev and Timofey Tikhonov, a Karelian from Voynitsa named Vasily Malikin and three Finns; the brothers David and Johan Venberg and their acquaintance Kaarlo Tauriainen. The rest of the village was intimidated by authorities. The six men were convicted of seducing Orthodox believers and sent to the local prison in Kem. After two months in prison, the men were released. The sect however, continued to be and confession books in the early 20th century suggest there were sectarian Ushkovayzet in the Kemsky District: one in Panozero, a family of four in Voynitsa and 20 people in Ukhta.
Not much is known about the Ushkovayzet movement in its later period. It is thought that the sect, not getting support nor understanding from the local population simply faded away over time.