The Skoptsy were a secret sect of Christianity in imperial Russia. The Skoptsy are best known for practicing castration of men and removal of women's breasts in accordance with their teachings against sexual lust. The movement originated as an offshoot of the sect known as the "People of God" and was first noted in the late eighteenth century. The Skoptsy were persecuted by the imperial government and later by the Soviet Union, but enjoyed substantial growth before fading into obscurity by the mid-twentieth century.