Alena Polyn aka Elena Sulikova, a woman who starred in the Battle of Psychics TV show and headed the Empire of Most Powerful Witches organisation, was arrested in the Moscow region. She is suspected of fraud, extremism and insulting the feelings of believers, RIA Novosti reports.
The woman is suspected of selling "extremist literature containing calls for violence against clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church” and publishing videos "containing statements degrading the religious feelings of believers,” the Investigative Committee said.
Empire of Most Powerful Witches was founded in 2015. The organisation sells courses of witchcraft and ritual paraphernalia. It also raises money for the needs of the Russian military, the Kommersant said.
In 2019, the Empire of Most Powerful Witches held a convention to raise Putin's ratings. Event participants performed a ritual in support of the president.
The criminal case against Alena Polyn was opened following a complaint to the Federal Security Bureau (FSB). According to the Moscow Region Investigative Committee, from January 2020 to December 2023, the sorceress was selling prohibited literature that contained calls to attack priests of the Russian Orthodox Church.
During searches of Polyn's premises, investigators found voodoo dolls, black candles, figurines of demons from various religions and a painting of the Golden Inseminator Bull.
Alena Polyn was born in 1980. The witch's website says that she received her knowledge of witchcraft from her grandfather who worked in the KGB. She is a psychologist by training (graduated from the Moscow Information Technology University — Moscow Institute of Architecture and Civil Engineering in 2022). She also has diplomas in the field of Gestalt therapy, theology, herbal medicine, political science, philology, philosophy, adaptive physical education, strategic coaching.
The woman offers help in financial and love problems, she helps entrepreneurs run their businesses too, but she always says that "there are no guarantees for magical help.” She also conducts online marathons and sells witches' merchandise and books in two shops.