The war of the shamans

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, invocations and spells have multiplied in the regions of Buryatia, Tuva, Irkutsk and Altaj where shamanism is widespread. And according to their own account, there are currently 17 shamans participating in the war actions, either as volunteers or conscripts.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - As documented by a report from the Ljudjam Baikala agency, in preparation for the presidential elections, which were subsequently won by President Vladimir Putin, the shamans of Siberia organized various propitiatory rites to support him.

The first was the shaman of the city of Angarsk in the Irkutsk region, Artur Tsybikov, who had already lit a bonfire on the main road on December 20th, throwing into it offerings to the spirits, biscuits mixed with milk and vodka, telling that “After this ritual, the Buryat god Bukhe Iojon appeared to me from heaven, who assured that he approved the expressed wish for Putin's victory.” The day chosen for the start of these rites was "FSB Day" dedicated to members of the security services, and also because "in these days [18 December] Stalin was born".

The 50-year-old Tsybikov is the president of the "Always blue sky" association (Večno sinee nebo), and is one of the most media-effective shamans in all of Russia. His popularity had spread after the ritual holocaust of 5 camels in Angarsk in 2019, previously killed and then dismembered and thrown into the fire, a ritual designed "to strengthen Russia". Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, these invocations and spells have obviously multiplied. As he himself told journalists, there are currently 17 shamans participating in war actions, as volunteers or conscripts, even if he did not reveal their names, and only one of them died at the front, "probably due to lack of faith ”.

The relatives buried the deceased "the old way", says Tsybikov, burying him directly underground, while he celebrated the rite of accompanying the soul to heaven, to "rejoin his ancestors" while his clothes and personal effects were burned in the fire . Now the deceased shaman "helps his companions directly from heaven", and Artur and the other shamans also participate in the fighting by acting "at a distance". “When they call me on the phone I hear the bullets whistling, they shout to be surrounded and ask to be saved” – explains Artur – “then we pray and perform rituals, and thus create corridors to get them out of the siege, their commanders take the right decision and they walk away without any loss.”

The shamans' activities serve not only individual soldiers, but the entire Russian army, as when in January it was decided to “celebrate a rite for Avdeevka, and the spirits revealed to us that there would be pouring rain, then fog that would have stopped the Ukrainian drones, and the assault was successful.” The shamans have supported the "special military operation" from the beginning, recalling the appeal of the supreme shaman of Russia Kara-ool Dopechun-ool (a figure recognized by the state), who already on March 10, 2022 asked Russian soldiers to "be intrepid ”, and even the Altai shaman, Artem Ignatenko, declared that Vladimir Putin “cares about people”, and that the special operation “began just at the right time”.

Among those mobilized to the front, many come from regions where shamanism is widespread, Buryatia, Tuva, Irkutsk, Altai. Moscow anthropologist Dmitry Doronin explains that "the shamanic community is much more widespread and complex than appears in the press", and shamans rarely intervene in political matters; they mostly heal from illnesses, they help customers decide how to spend money, which university to enroll in or which car to buy. “We as European rationalists would like everything to be recorded in the minutes, even political positions, but this is not what we should expect from shamans, they feel the spirit of the people and the people, and act in favor of them”.

The 36-year-old shaman from Ulan-Ude, Enkhe Tsydenov, states that "relatives of soldiers come to us, asking us to perform rituals for them... people don't want to fight and die, war is a terrible thing, but yes must do, because you cannot go against those in power." Therefore “our compatriots are not at fault, and we can only pray for them”; prayers "for Victory" have also been introduced into shamanic rites, as in those of the Russian Orthodox Church.