Thousands of Russians are turning to exorcism, with initial consultations costing up to £196, as the practice becomes a booming commercial service amid the strain of war and political instability, according to reports from Russian media and academic researchers.
Online communities are filled with pleas for help, such as: “A 14-year-old teenager has been possessed by a demon … we tried healers, but they couldn’t help.” Local mediums now offer paid consultations—typically between £98 and £196—to determine whether a person is truly possessed, forming what observers call an “exorcism economy”.
Some Russians travel to known “exorcism destinations” like Oryol Oblast, 400km south of Moscow, where Father Igor, the official exorcist of the local diocese, performs the Orthodox ritual of otchitka. The service is not free; researchers note that “tours for otchitkas” have become a business, with donations expected.
The revival draws on deep Orthodox roots—exorcism prayers entered Russian practice in the 17th century—but remained rare until the late Soviet period. In the 1980s, a crisis of meaning as the USSR collapsed sparked a search for spirituality, boosting both religious and occult practices, including exorcism. The most influential modern exorcist, Father German, began practising near Moscow then, with stories of dramatic rituals spreading by word of mouth.
Today, the war in Ukraine is seen as a fresh driver. Russia’s Orthodox Church appointed President Vladimir Putin as “chief exorcist” in 2022 after the Kremlin called for Ukraine to be “desatanised”. The renewed interest echoes the 1980s turbulence, with existential anxieties intensifying during wartime. Researchers like Pavel Nosachev of HSE University note that “largely due to the connection with business—tours for otchitkas or donations have been monetised.”
Media reporting says the exorcism boom mirrors a society under strain, where fear and uncertainty are commercialised, just as the long-running TV show Battle of the Psychics spawned a multimillion-ruble industry of celebrity healers. What was once a rare local ritual is evolving into a structured service, a phenomenon some call “exorcism tourism”.
