Russian man arrested under anti-terror law after talking about philosophy of yoga

A Russian yoga teacher has been arrested for "illegal missionary activity" under controversial new laws designed to combat terrorism.

Dmitry Ugay is said to have fallen foul of the country’s anti-terror measures, dubbed a ‘Big Brother' law by Edward Snowden, while giving a talk about the philosophy of yoga at a St Petersburg festival.

The computer programmer was arrested and charged with allegedly conducting illegal missionary activity, which is an offence under the so-called Yarovaya laws brought in last year.

Mr Ugay’s arrest comes after he was accused by fellow festival-goer, Nail Nasibulin, of recruiting young people to join his “pseudo-Hindu organisation".

The 44-year-old claims he was bundled into a police car and ordered to sign a blank piece of paper, which he refused to do.

Two months after his arrest and subsequent release, he now faces a fine at a court hearing next week in St Petersburg, state news agency Rapsi reported.

But Mr Ugay, who admits following Hinduism, strenuously denied the other claims, telling the Meduza news agency: “I did not name a single religious organisation in my speech, nor did I use a single religious book, and did not name a single religious figure apart from Christ and Buddha.”