MP initiates investigation into mage Veliar over UOC 'funeral'

Mage Veliar, who campaigned for the OCU, performing a "funeral service" for the UOC with activists. Photo: UOJ

MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak reported on his Telegram channel that he had referred materials on self-styled magicians to law enforcement agencies, including those concerning Bohdan Oryshchenko (the so-called mage Veliar), who previously campaigned for the OCU outside the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

"We conducted an investigation into two well-known 'mouthpieces' of Bankova — the 'witch' Maria Tykha and mage Veliar. They are Maria Arefieva and Bohdan Oryshchenko. You already know them as the 'stars' of political esotericism following Bankova's talking points. But it appears that this 'magic' has also become a potentially fraudulent way of making millions from the problems of ordinary people. In the correspondence of dozens of deceived clients — there are receipts for thousands of dollars for 'curse removal,' profiting from relatives of missing persons, 'treating' children with rituals," the deputy commented on his video report.

In particular, Zhelezniak noted that Veliar had stated in an interview that he earned $50,000–$100,000 per month, while official figures cited by the lawmaker suggested a much lower income.

According to the deputy, "these are already real matters that may constitute criminal offenses of fraud and tax evasion."

"Why the numbers don't add up is a question not for tarot cards, but for the Bureau of Economic Security," the lawmaker wrote. He also emphasized that, in his opinion, this story is no longer about exotica but about possible criminal offenses: "When we are talking about probable millions earned on human suffering, magic ends and legal responsibility begins."

The UOJ previously reported that the man who calls himself mage Veliar, together with activists, staged a blasphemous mock 'funeral service for the UOC' under the walls of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, using Church symbolism in a derisive manner. The UOJ later also reported that Veliar appeared as a witness for the SBU in the Viktoria Kokhanovska case.

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