"He might die, but I'll save him for 21,000." How fortune-tellers profit from the relatives of fallen soldiers.

“I will perform the 'protection' with my own efforts. You will need to prepare: rinse yourself, cross yourself, read the prayer that I will provide. I will explain everything. And when I am working, he will get in touch with you and call. This service costs 44,500 UAH, but there is a discount for military personnel — 21,500,” adds Maria.

She suggests scheduling the next meeting as soon as possible and transferring the money. But where can one find such an amount?

“I did a reading; you will find them. You have an open side for assistance,” reassures Maria.

The photo I sent her indeed belongs to a serviceman who died last year. I have reported the information about the “clairvoyant” to the police.

There are people who, in despair, cling to even a shred of hope. And there will always be those who try to profit from the misfortunes of others. Clairvoyants are also appearing in Facebook groups where relatives are searching for those missing in the war, offering their services.

A similar story occurred in December involving a resident of Dnipropetrovsk region. Her son went missing during combat. The woman searched for him for a long time, posting about it on social media. Eventually, she received the horrifying news: her son had died, and his body was identified. The soldier was buried in a closed coffin. The mother continued to believe her son was alive. Later, she received a phone call from unknown individuals who provided the number of a fortune teller who supposedly could assist in locating him. The woman sent money for rituals until she had given over 230,000 UAH. She eventually realized she had been deceived. This case is still under investigation by law enforcement.

By the way, in Ukraine, the activities of fortune tellers, palmists, and astrologers are not criminalized. Moreover, they are even officially recognized and included in the profession classifier. Fortune tellers can open a FOP and pay taxes for their activities.

“Tell me, is he in your realm?”

Not everyone seeks clients online. “With the help of magic, I will point to the place of the soldier's death,” reads an advertisement at one of the bus stops in Kyiv. Then, traditionally, it offers services for removing curses and eliminating competitors. Phone numbers can be torn off.

Using Getcontact, I see how others have saved this number. “Scam Fortune Teller” sounds eloquent, so I call. According to the story, I'm searching for a missing person. I received a quick response and was even offered “services” for free, claiming they do not charge military families.

A woman who introduced herself as Vesta suggested I come when it gets dark. I should bring printed photos and was warned to prepare: instead of the person's soul, a demon might appear.

I ask if proof is needed to confirm that the missing person is indeed a serviceman. “I will ask him myself,” I hear in response.

My colleague Maya and I go to meet Vesta, pretending she is my aunt. We are supposedly searching for my brother. An elderly blonde woman greets us at the entrance. She wears a home red robe with a belt. While we ascend, she tries to find a place for her cat. But we decline.

In Vesta's kitchen, there is a strong smell of old furniture and once-cooked meals. The windows are taped up against Russian missiles. There are no icons. A strange figurine is wedged between dishes in the cupboard.

On the left side of the table is a setup: a wooden idol about a meter tall, with a human face and a beast's jaw. It resembles a statue of Veles.

Maya sits at the table covered with black fabric. Vesta indicates that I should sit a bit farther away. She prepares two identical sets: placing buns, glasses of milk, and cups of honey on white plates. One plate is left with Veles, the other on the table.

We brought a photo of the fallen soldier, of whom we know where and how he died, and who has long been buried. Vesta places the photo next to her, pulls out a Ouija board, and unfolds a folder of prayers. Several times she “addresses” Morena, the goddess of the underworld: “Tell us, is he in your world? Help us.”

Next, Vesta points to letters on the Ouija board and stretches the words: “H-e i-s h-e-r-e. He is here,” implying that the spirit speaks through her.

The atmosphere was sufficient, but Vesta did not provide any information that even slightly matched the truth. She spoke about the soldier as if his body lay on the battlefield, adding that he was shot in the back. This is all false. According to her, the deceased often “told” her that their deaths were due to deliberate actions by their commanders. After this, we wondered if Vesta might be a Russian agent. She didn’t demand money directly, insisting that she worked for free with military relatives, but the narratives she promoted were pure IPSO.

How much do fortune tellers charge?

I also reached out to the stars in this field — clairvoyant Elena Kurilova and witch Yaroslava Fedorova. The former asked for two thousand UAH for a card reading on whether the soldier is alive. The latter stated that she does it for free but requires a queue because “there are many such requests.”

Kurilova reminded me twice to send money before she “began her work.” By the way, the account belongs to her husband's FOP. I replied that Fedorova offered her services for free and that I had no money, which is why I contacted her.

However, the clairvoyant began to persuade me not to go to the competitor-witch, claiming that her reading would be untruthful. She added: “You are looking where it’s cheaper, but as you know, free cheese…”

We also approached other participants from the show “Battle of the Psychics.” Hayal Alekperov, Zhanna Shulakova, and Magdalina Mochiovski refused to “search” for missing servicemen.

We found another fortune teller online on a forum, offering rituals involving wax pouring into water. She asked for one thousand UAH for an online search and three thousand if I went to see her.

“Fortune telling about soldiers is just bait”

Natalia Yakovleva was a producer for the 16th season of “Battle of the Psychics.” Now, she stands on the other side of the barricades and has her own project “Razor of Psychics,” where she exposes show participants and various esoteric practitioners.

“My psyche couldn’t handle the trash that was happening on the project. I switched sides as soon as I realized who the people calling themselves psychics really were. Because before that, I believed in them. The contract did not allow me to disclose behind-the-scenes details, but now that its term has expired, I can speak,” noted Yakovleva.

According to the producer, within her project, she sent undercover agents to almost all popular psychics from the show to check how this magical service operates.

“In short, all absolutely psychics profit from requests related to the war. Even if they claim it’s free. Then the extraction of funds begins through manipulations, supposedly due to some curse on the family, etc. In other words, fortune telling about soldiers is just bait to get people to come to the psychic. And then the standard scheme begins,” explains the woman.

She adds that for those who do not take requests related to military personnel, it’s a slightly different story. Those seers simply fear these topics because they are sensitive. There is a risk that dissatisfied clients will publicly share the psychic's mistakes. However, they are more than willing to ponder everything else.