Former Crimean Prosecutor Natalia Poklonskaya Officially Changes Name to Radveda

Photo: commons.wikimedia.org by Пресс-служба Президента России, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Natalia Poklonskaya (2016-10-05)

Natalia Poklonskaya, adviser to Russia’s Prosecutor General and former prosecutor of Crimea, has officially changed her name to Radveda. The revelation came from journalist Sergey Mardan, who published a fragment of court documents on his Telegram channel confirming the legal name change.

Mardan, who is a defendant in a defamation lawsuit involving Poklonskaya, stated that the submitted documents are part of official case materials and prove that she now legally bears the new name. He commented that the former prosecutor had decided to “break all ties with the Christianity she so despises” and adopt “a name that sounds like a character from an online game.”

Poklonskaya Embraces Pagan Identity

In October, Poklonskaya publicly declared that she “does not profess Christianity.” In a social media post, she explained that her professional background in the prosecution service, her personal convictions, and her greetings on pagan holidays “do not contradict current legislation.”

On September 18, she congratulated Russians on the neo-pagan holiday Mabon, marking the autumn equinox, and on October 31, 2024, she celebrated Samhain, the ancient Celtic festival.

Religious Backlash from the Orthodox Church

Her turn toward pagan practices has drawn criticism from the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC). Bishop Iosif called her behavior “a path toward demonic forces.” Earlier, an activist had formally requested that Poklonskaya be investigated for inciting religious hatred.

The name change to Radveda appears to formalize her growing identification with neo-pagan beliefs and her separation from Christian tradition.