Over the past two years, there has been a significant increase in the number of migrants presenting themselves as psychics, sorcerers, and fortune-tellers coming to Russia. The main flow of these migrants comes from Central Asia, where legislation prohibits such esoteric practices. This was reported by Igor Ivanishko, a member of the expert council of the State Duma committee on civil society and religious associations.
“In the last couple of years, esoteric migration from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan has significantly increased. In these countries, they cannot engage in such activities due to the law.”
Unlike their home countries, where psychic services are prohibited, they are legal in Russia. This allows esoteric practitioners to register as individual entrepreneurs and deceive naive clients. Ivanishko also noted that the demand for such services has increased against the backdrop of the conflict in Ukraine, as relatives of soldiers turn to magicians in search of information about the fate of their loved ones or to conduct "protective" rituals.
