A member of the Duma says “con artists” swindled more than a billion dollars from people last year
Russian lawmakers should consider banning “esoteric” and “spiritual” services, along with various outlets that advertise them, Russian MP Nina Ostanina said in a statement on Tuesday.
A new bill proposed by the lawmaker and her colleagues would amend preexisting laws, banning the promotion of various occult services and online resources that advertise them, aiming to protect vulnerable citizens from psychological and financial harm.
“These practices, including astrology, magic, energy ‘healing’ and fortune telling, have no scientific basis, mislead people, and are often used for fraud,” Ostanina wrote on her Telegram channel, posting the draft bill.
“These con artists swindled more than 100 billion rubles ($1.15 billion) from households and families in 2024 alone,” she added.
If accepted, the bill would affect tarot card readers, mediums, crystal therapists, numerologists and other esoteric services, according to the bill’s explanatory notes.
International precedents suggest that regulating these kinds of businesses “reduces the risk of fraud,” Ostanina said.
“Ignoramuses, crooks, charlatans and deceivers – I declare war on you,” she wrote.
According to a poll last year by The Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VTSIOM), roughly six out of ten Russians had resorted to esoteric services at least once in their lifetime, and one in four believed in their effectiveness.
The Russian ‘magic’ market niche grew by 20%, while traffic to websites providing the services spiked by 38% in 2024, the newspaper MK claimed in December. According to the outlet’s estimates, the industry’s total annual turnover in Russia reached trillions of rubles last year, comparable to Russians’ annual spending on groceries.
