Russian lawmakers call to make occult practices a crime
20-03-2025
Eastern Europe
William Immink, CNE.news
Astrology. Photo AFP, Pascal Pavani
Eastern Europe
In Russia, the occult business has grown into a big industry. Therefore, lawmakers are calling for regulation or even criminalisation of this world. Most Christian leaders are happy about the draft legislation in the State Duma.
Stay up to date with Christian news in Europe? Sign up for CNE's newsletter.
When Anna, a 29-year-old mother of two, was still a baby, she had some health problems. This was a reason for her grandmother to seek answers in the occult. The Russian “babushka” made a strange tea soup of plants and flowers growing in the marshlands near their house and rubbed it onto her granddaughter.
Valentina Petrovna mumbled all kinds of spells over her granddaughter. But that did not help. Anna kept crying a lot.
It was only when Anna’s parents came to Christ, and they took her to a Protestant church that her health problems went over. Only years later, Anna found out about the occult rituals her grandmother practised on her. Though these are not rare instances in Russia, it still shocked her, and she was surprised about the frequency of these practices.
Thriving market
It might surprise some that the occult industry is growing in Orthodox Christian Russia. Once, it was no more than some practices based upon traditions, carried out mainly by elderly women in remote villages. But now, it has become a thriving market. According to Argumenty I Fakty, spending in this market reached 100 billion rubles in 2024 (1.1 billion Euros).
One Russian Member of Parliament, Alexander Spiridonov, using a broader definition, says that the market is much bigger – up to 2 trillion rubles annually (21 billion Euros).
Numbers thus show that the industry is gaining popularity. Anxiety, depression and uncertainty in the wake of the ‘special military operation’ are said to be some of the main reasons why people turn to these esoteric practices. Every newspaper in Russia has a page dedicated to horoscopes and other superstitions, and much attention is given to pagan and esoteric practices. Surprisingly, 72 per cent of Russians agree this has to stop.
Manipulation
According to the Russian State Duma in Moscow, the growing influence of the occult industry is a problem. Lawmaker Alexander Spiridonov said in an interview with the Russian Orthodox Church’s TV channel Spas that many of these practices are used to influence other people. People will potentially stop attending regular state or private medical institutions and turn to these alternative places. This could lead to a worsening of the health of the Russian population. Thus, Spiridonov advocates that these practices should be banned.
In the public debate, lawmakers debate how to ban these practices practically. While some call for more regulation in this sector, others advocate outright bans and criminalisation. The occult industry is growing rapidly, and the debate is likely to intensify in the coming months.
Powerful industry
Andrey Svintsov, an MP in the State Duma, told Russian media that the government will not ban tarot cards itself. It is tolerable if it takes place in an entertaining format. “But if scammers make an ‘industrial’ business out of it, that is, it is not some kind of startup; it is already a powerful industry, which, in terms of economic consequences, may even be more dangerous than other types of fraud that flourish in our country,” Svintsov warned.
MP Andrey Svintsov says the draft law will require bloggers and online media to label esoteric content with a warning sign, similar to those on cigarette boxes. These practices are not based on science and can be damaging.
The State Duma will vote on a draft soon, which has passed the first reading. According to this first draft, advertising services related to magic, astrology and the esoteric will be banned from society.
It is not clear yet if entrepreneurs in this sector will be able to register themselves as self-employed so that taxes will be paid according to the law or if the law will ban the services of these practitioners entirely. It is unclear how the lawmakers will implement this law, as most practitioners operate in the grey economy.
Religious leaders
Russian-Orthodox leaders like Fedor Lukyanov (president of the Patriarchal Commission on Family Issues, Protection of Motherhood and Childhood) have spoken out in favour of this law. Priest Lukyanov stated that these practices “pose a real threat to religious, spiritual, moral and psychological security for both students and teachers themselves”.
Still, some Christians are not happy with the proposed changes. Some would not support this bill because they are worried that the government can misuse the act against them later. Government restrictions are not the way to get people to do justice, some Christians would say. It can much better be done by a bottom-up approach by believers through evangelisation and repentance of the nation.
Woke
The bill comes in a broader context where the State Duma is pushing back with regulation against other unwanted societal aspects. Examples are the laws against “Western” and “woke” ideas like child-free and the LGBT movement. Earlier, CNE also wrote about the battle against abortion that is being fought in Russian regions.
Related Articles
