Topic: Alexander Barchenko

Gary Lachman explores the history of Soviet parapsychology and psychic research, noting that it was often more integrated into the culture than Western equivalents. He recounts the story of Gleb Bokii, a high-ranking secret police official, and Alexander Barchenko, who attempted to organize an expedition to Tibet to find Shambhala. They hoped to recover "super-science" from ancient monasteries to imbue the Bolshevik Revolution with spiritual values before they eventually fell victim to Stalin's purges.

In the 1920s, Russian archaeologist Alexander Barchenko searched for Hyperborea in the White Sea and Barents Sea regions. He discovered ancient paved roads, labyrinths, and pyramids in Russian Lapland. Barchenko believed the indigenous Sami shamans were descendants of the Hyperboreans, a theory supported by more recent discoveries of massive stone thrones.