“No space for our religion” – Russian Pagans speak out about the invasion of Ukraine

Editor’s note: TWH wishes to thank Garzia for assistance with translations from Russian in this article.

TWH – “There was a nightmarish moment which I will never forget in my life,” says a Russian Wiccan, who goes by the craft name of Garzia. “On March 18, the day government celebrated as the anniversary of the ‘unification of the Crimea and Russia,’ I walked along the street of a beautiful Russian university town, right past the university campus. The loudspeakers, which hung on every third lamppost, were shouting some trashy music of ‘patriotic’ contents.”

“I walked faster,” Garzia continued, “trying to move ahead from the loud sound of the song, but to my horror, as long as a walked I just met new loudspeakers which played the same music. The street along the campus was long with nowhere to turn for about half a kilometer or so. I literally couldn’t escape the propaganda placed there on purpose by the authorities for people to listen to, even if – especially if! – they were reluctant to do it of their own accord. I didn’t feel like a character in Orwell’s novel, because I really was one.”

“The moral collapse of Russia as a state is unprecedented,” Garzia also said.

Garzia’s account is but one of the many similar statements, testimonies, and interviews made by Russian Pagans, Witches, and occultists that TWH has gathered in recent weeks.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, TWH has attempted to cover the war and the way it has affected people on the ground. Despite the complications inherent to an armed conflict, our team did manage to get in touch with several Ukrainian Pagans and gave them the opportunity to reach out to the wider international community.

In the time that followed, as the war grew more intense and the divide between Russia the Western nations grew wider, TWH has spoken with Russian Pagans to hear about their experience of the conflict and the situation for Pagans and other minority groups in Russia.

TWH reached out to the subjects of this story between mid-March to mid-April. Many of the people we spoke with declined to comment, and those who did asked for anonymity.

Even still, the Russians we spoke to widely felt they were taking a risk by speaking to about their experience of the war, especially if they were opposed to it. In a time where the citizens of Russia and the West are growing further apart day by day, TWH believes it is essential to keep dialogue with ordinary Russians open.

The development of the Pagan scene

Prior to the beginning of the war on February 24, the Pagan and occult milieu in Russia was composed of numerous small groups, mostly informal. While during the Soviet times, there existed a number of individuals who professed (openly or not), their beliefs in occult or psychic forces, the nature of the Soviet state made the spread of such ideas difficult.

It was not until the collapse of the USSR in the 1990s that Paganism, Witchcraft, and occultism started to reach people on a larger scale. These times were characterized by the rise of local authors and leaders, as well as the spread of relevant religious literature, both in print and on the internet.

While over the years, numerous Pagan and occult groups started to grow in Russia, representatives of different traditions often stressed the peculiarities of their respective traditions. This resulted in the development of many distinct organizations and subcultures, such as Wicca, Theosophy, Ásatru, Rodnovery (Slavic Paganism), shamanism, indigenous folk beliefs, and more, which often had little to do with each other.

The informal nature of many such groups has also made popular or international recognition more difficult. There exist no state-recognized Wiccan organizations in Russia, for example, and most Russian Theosophical groups are not acknowledged by Aydar, the mother society. Within specific traditions, divisions have arisen as well, with, for example, Wiccan covens breaking up and cross-group initiatives being short-lived.

Despite these challenges, the Russian Wiccan scene in particular kept growing and even started participating in international cooperation. Several of the individuals TWH interviewed cited the Pagan Federation International (PFI) as a partner of note, and mentioned personal, if not institutional, relationships with Ukrainian practitioners prior to February 24th.

In addition, none of the interviewees reported either having ever been the victim of government pressure or persecution due to their religious and magical practices. Still, one individual reported that there always remained some level of threat, and mentioned cases of persecution dating a number of years back.

Conflicting reactions

Despite the divisions that characterize the modern Russian Pagan and occult scene, everyone was affected in one way or another when president Vladimir Putin launched a full scale invasion of Ukraine.

According to a Russian researcher of social anthropology of religion who only wished to be identified as M.M., the declaration of war sent shockwaves among the Russian Wiccan and occult community.

The current events have “divided these communities in Russia as it divided Russian society in general,” M.M. said. “Some are shocked and terrified, some are inspired and grateful for, as they claim, the ‘denationalization’ and ‘denazification’ of Ukraine, but the silent majority tries to remain neutral and keep the ‘tradition’ and ‘craft’ clean out of all political and ideological disputes.”

All of the individuals we spoke with for this story wholeheartedly condemned the war, and they also stated almost everyone they know is similarly opposed. But there are some in the Wiccan and occult community who believe there is no conflict between supporting the invasion and practicing Wicca.

One of these is Aleksandr Sadovnikov, leader of the Keepers of the Flame Coven in Novosibirsk, who shared the following message on Telegram on March 27:

Let me be brief. Wicca is not a pacifist religion. Our God is not only the Sower and the Grain. He is not only Healer and Wizard. He is Hunter and Warrior. He spills blood and stops it […] There is no ban on military service in Wicca or fighting for the interest of one’s country. As a Pagan religion, Wicca is not alien to the notions of Motherland, folk and pride for them. Yes, our Gods don’t have their own nation or country. They came from afar, when humanity was comparably uniform. But to us, the Wiccans, they come in guises that are familiar to us […] You have the right to pray for Russia, to be proud of Russia, to acknowledge the rights of Russia and the rightness of Russia’s decisions. As well as don’t do this. There is no idea in Wicca which can hold you from it. The Gods will hear you. And understand you […] Live, work and do rituals. Be bravely proud that you are Wiccans, that you are Russians, that you support your country in a hard time. And don’t take on yourselves the liabilities of others, that have nothing to do with Wicca.

This statement quickly prompted an answer from Aitvaras Narrenturm, a Wiccan priest from the Agave Society coven in Saint Petersburg, who took to Telegram on the following day to condemn his coreligionist:

I honestly tried. I tried to see this picture, in which our country – apparently with a heavy heart – is pursuing some interests of hers. That would be comprehensible. But what interest of the country one can speak of when everything that could get worse got worse, and will probably get worse still? […] What puzzles me, is how [Wiccan who support the war] fail to see that the “special operation” is targeted against them as well. In the “Russian world” they are allowed to take pride in, there will be space, perhaps, only for “The Empire of the Strongest Witches”, that are doing rituals under the portrait of You-Know-Who [Putin], but there will definitely be no space for our religion, invented by a British spy […] And most of all I can’t understand how can the supporter of this “pride antithesis” look in the eyes of our fellow believers from Ukraine. To those who came to our rituals and shared bread with us. How can this member of Wiccan Alliance read about how another member of Wiccan Alliance fears for his mother, who stayed in Mariupol’ [under siege and shelling], and then write about pride. It is simply inconceivable.

Speaking to TWH, Aitvaras Narrenturm reiterated his denunciation of the war in the strongest terms.

“The regime that usurped political power in Russia has started the war on the basis of its long obsolete notions of ‘geopolitics,'” Narrenturm said, “and due to its own incompetence could not calculate the consequences. If one leaves aside rational motives and give an exclusively ethical evaluation of it, I have only one name for starting war with a neighboring state – crime.”

While Narrenturm has so far been the only Wiccan to publicly come forward in denouncing the war, it is likely that by doing so, he is acting as spokesman of a much larger portion of the Russian Pagan community.

While Slavic and Norse reconstructionists in Russia in general tend to be politically conservative, Russian Wicca is, on the whole, markedly more liberal.

“In Russia, movements like Wicca tend to be more globalist, liberal, and pro-Western in their orientation,” says Stanislav Panin, a scholar focusing on Russian minority faiths, “which makes their members more critical about decisions of Russian government in the current circumstances.”

“Also, because the Wiccan Rede directly instructs to make no harm,” Panin continued, “pacifist convictions are more pronounced among Wiccans compared to other Pagan groups.”

In addition, M.M. mentions that some of their informants even went against their Wiccan ethics by performing rituals to stop the invasion, and that at least one Russian Theosophical leader did join in condemning the war, arguing that the correct Theosophical view is one of pacifism.

Censorship and fear of retaliation

One reason so few Russians that oppose the war have spoken out, regardless of their religion, can be found in the country’s rapidly-enacted censorship laws, especially those enacted in March of this year. Under the framework of these pieces of legislation, individuals who are found to have denigrated the state, the army, or voiced opposition to the current war, including in online spaces, can face up to fifteen years in jail.

While so far, none of the individuals TWH contacted knew of any co-religionists being arrested following the introduction of the censorship laws, the general feeling among them is that of caution and fear.

“We try to stay cautious, because we very clearly realize the shakiness of the ground we’re generally standing on due to our religious views,” says Sigurd, a member of both the Agave Wiccan society and the Thelemic Ordo Templi Orientis. “What we are really concerned about is that this whole tide of implemented patriotism will attract unnecessary attention to our communities, to our ‘different’ religions.”

Panin, in an article focusing on the way religious leaders of minority faiths have reacted to the war, reaches a similar conclusion:

“In these circumstances, religious associations that do not support the war in Ukraine and do not belong to mainstream Russian religions find themselves in a double predicament. While already being targeted as religious minorities, they risk much more if they call for peace. On the other hand, organized religions that seek support from the Russian government are expected to pay back with their loyalty and support. A group that hopes to remain an officially registered religious organization has to support Russian actions in Ukraine or at the very least remain silent.”

A similar understanding of the situation is echoed in the words of Garzia, who describes the way the state owned or state-backed media depicts the people opposing the war:

“Russians are very much constricted in their discussion of the current events,” Garzia says. “The propaganda speaks of a ‘fifth column’ (that is, all who do not wholeheartedly and enthusiastically voice their wholehearted support for everything officials say or do) and law enforcement starts criminal (no more simply administrative) prosecution for participation in anti-war actions or saying anything on the Internet (or actually anywhere where you can be heard) against the war.”

In his writings, Garzia tells not only of hardening legal actions from the part of the state, but also of the growth of an extremely antagonistic and hateful rhetoric directed against those who oppose the war.

“The media claims that all those who are thus condemned by the authorities are paid by foreign powers, or are themselves ‘Nazis’ and/or ‘non-Russians’ and should leave/should be imprisoned/shot. The rulers seriously discuss bringing back the death penalty, and many fear it will be used against the anti-war activists or simply the ‘wrong-minded.’ The fear of very real persecution simply for pleading for peace is widespread among people of my circle.”

Taking this into consideration, it is not surprising that so few people have spoken out. A Russian Wiccan coven leader TWH got in touch with in the early days of the war ultimately declined to speak about their opinions and experiences for fears of reprisal, but nevertheless wished to convey the following statement:

“We have many different communities and covens, but many are either too small or afraid to speak out openly, but despite some difference of opinion among Wiccans and Pagans of the ex-USSR, there are many good, kind people among them.”

The effect of sanctions

This desire to lay low is likely to continue among Pagan and occult Russian practitioners, especially as they face not only state repression but international isolation and sanctions.

Garzia adamantly condemns the war, calling it “a blatant violation of international law that will have catastrophic events for the whole world.” But he nevertheless paints a dire picture of the effects of the current Western embargo and isolation.

“Russians, especially in big cities, are indeed suffering from the breakup of their usual economic routine,” Garzia says. “Schools are cancelling written tests, because the country is starting to run out of writing paper. It is basically impossible to fly anywhere from Russia by plane, and the cost of international flights to the few destinations there are left have sky-rocketed. People are buying out sugar, and there is already a shortage of this commodity throughout Russia.”

“The sanctions influence Russians a lot,” echoes Aitvaras Narrenturm, “at the moment mostly via inflation and the increased unemployment rate. The situation has been worsening.”

Sigurd agrees, “Lots of people have lost their jobs; prices are growing, including on medicines; many goods that we normally use have disappeared from the market, including many hygiene items, kids’ food, etc.”

Expending upon the negative effects the embargo has for the Russian people, Garzia wishes first and foremost to remind that it is a policy which does not discriminate based on one’s involvement in, or support of the war.

“The isolation and boycott Russians as a nation face worldwide is especially painful for those who have never supported nationalistic and folkish notions that are now employed by those in power to justify their crimes.”

While the situation in Russia since the beginning of the war has been characterized by uncertainty, fear, and repression, the people TWH reached out to remain unsure how their lives, both as Russians and Pagans, will turn out as the conflict continues.

Some try not to fall prey to despair and hope for a swift end to war. But most remain fearful about how the Russian state will harden its domestic policies and clamp down on their communities.

“I am celebrating Ostara and praying for all this all to pass – very selfishly and timidly trembling for my own private life and for those I love,” Garzia told us at the end of our interview. “I fear not the hostile soldier – because there are none on our soil, unlike the soil of Ukraine – but the police and the FSB, which now has made a backward leap straight to the ancient NKVD. I loathe all those who made all this happen and all those who say and do things which make it last. Vulnerability, helplessness and hopelessness are the three words written on the wall these days.”

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