WEIRD TALES FROM THE WAR
Magical battles, digital warfare and a rogue ecclesiastical supplies lorry
WITCH VS WITCH
Some believe that Germany’s failure to invade Britain during the Second World War was due to the intervention of Britain’s magic practitioners, organised by Dion Fortune (see FT267:3441). Whether or not that was the case, witches on both sides of the Ukraine war have now mobilised to support their countries.
In what seems more like a media stunt than an actual magical working, on 12 March the “Great Witches of Russia” held a general council in support of Vladimir Putin. This involved more than 100 witches gathering in Moscow and carrying out a 20-minute ritual to boost Putin and Russia, filmed by Russian TV. Presided over by Aljona Polin, who was described as “Russia’s leading witch”, the participants, dressed in matching dark hooded robes decorated with birds of prey, stood in a circle around a shawl with a portrait of Putin and a lit candle on it. Polin led with a repeated chant of “Let the great strength of Russia manifest itself”, to which the witches (and a few wizards) responded “indeed”. They then went on to curse Russia’s enemies, with Polin chanting: “Those who pretend to pass through our midst, those who have decided to leave us, those who lie in everything they say, for ever and ever these enemies will be cursed!” The assembled covens responded theatrically, crying “Cursed, cursed!” Polin explained the reason for the ritual, saying that “whoever is in power is a kind of absorbent tissue, who takes in everything that lives in
The witches of Ukraine set out to hold a ritual to punish Putin
the people and in the country, and there cannot be a negative president... we have done our rituals in the time and in the proportions that are needed at the moment, with the aim of improving the lives of people in the world through Russia’s
ABOVE: "Russia's leading witch", Aljona Polin. LEFT: A photo posted online by Ukraine's 93rd Mechanised Brigade appears to show the knocked out turret of a Russian T-72 tank that looks remarkably like a skull.
commitment”. Interviewed about her actions, a participant named only as Afrodita said, “In everything, as a citizen of Russia, I have no right to question the decisions of those who govern us, I always agree with those above us.” asianews.it, 14 Mar 2022.
Not to be outdone, the witches of Ukraine set out to hold a three-step ritual to punish and oust Putin, putting out a call to all witches saying, “On March 31, on the 29th lunar day, the day of corruption and curses, we, the witches of Ukraine, in collaboration with foreign partners, will perform a ritual of punishing the enemy of the Ukrainian people – Vladimir Putin.” The first part of the ritual was to be held at Ukraine’s “Place of Power”, which is apparently the Bald Mountain near Kyiv, while the second part was to take place in an unspecified “Slavic country” where foreign witches would participate. The final part would involve creating a “stone sack” for Putin that is intended to result in him facing “isolation, ousting from power and loss of support from the inner circle”. A statement on Instagram from the Kyiv magic shop Witches Cauldron, which was organising the ritual, said: “Our rite has been developed by a team of serious practitioners from day one. We are ready. We did a lot of preparatory work, breaking through the defences of enemies, carefully planning and selecting rituals”. Judging by the progress of the war since 31 March, it would seem the Ukraine witches currently have the upper hand. indiatimes.com, 29 Mar 2022.
ELVES VS TROLLS
The battle is also taking place in the digital realm, with disinformation from socalled Russian “troll farms” being actively countered by a group of volunteer hackers organised from Lithuania. As a state formerly occupied by the Soviet Union, Lithuania felt particularly vulnerable after Russia moved to annex parts of Ukraine in 2014, and when they started to see an onslaught of propaganda from Russian trolls, a group of Lithuanians decided to fight back. Calling themselves “Elves” to evoke the benevolent mythical creatures who quietly hammer away behind the scenes, they monitor fake pro-Kremlin profiles and pages on social media, particularly on Facebook, and debunk disinformation through simple explanations and memes. The team has grown and now involves hundreds of volunteers from more