A senior Russian Orthodox cleric has blamed witches, fortune tellers, evil spirits and abortions for standing in the way of an end to the war in Ukraine.
Bishop Pitirim Tvorogov, who heads the Skopin Diocese, said Russia’s growing fascination with occult practices – coupled with what he described as widespread abortion – has angered God and prolonged the conflict.
In remarks cited by The Moscow Times, the bishop claimed that in 2024 “the number of psychics, sorcerers, magicians, tarot readers, numerologists, fortune tellers, and all manner of witches in Russia has tripled.” He said the trend has only intensified in 2025, as Russians continue to snap up “occult items.”
“That is, in a country at war, a huge number of people are calling on evil spirits for help,” Bishop Pitirim stated.
The cleric also accused women who get abortions of undermining efforts to bring the fighting to a close.
“Because it is not God’s will for peace to be concluded in this way... Because of the huge number of sorcerers that have appeared, because of the large number of abortions that have been performed, especially recently. And in general, people have begun to live very wickedly,” he concluded.
It is not the first time representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church have attributed the war in Ukraine to abortions.
Archpriest Andrei Tkachev, a prominent pro-war figure, said that Russians are unworthy of peace and happiness due to their “moral decline,” asserting that abortions and masturbation have turned the country’s inhabitants “into debauchees and murderers.”
“It is precisely because of depravity that wars occur. And we will have no peace until we repent,” the archpriest emphasized.
In January, the Russian Orthodox Church staged a nationwide prayer campaign urging women not to seek abortions.
“Let us pray to the Lord that our brothers and sisters overcome by thoughts of infanticide come to their senses, and that they might be delivered from this senseless darkness and repent and understand the truth,” one prayer read.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Jan. 7 told Russian Orthodox faithful that the country’s troops were carrying out a “holy mission” in their invasion of Ukraine “on God’s instruction.”