Stars, Cards, and State Narratives: Esotericism in the Service of Russian Propaganda

At least 15% of the most popular Russian esoteric Telegram channels regularly comment on politics—and almost always in line with Kremlin narratives. By embedding political commentary within their astrology and tarot feeds, these channels reach audiences that might not otherwise follow politics at all.
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In late 2024, Russia began discussing a nationwide ban on advertising esoteric services like tarot readings and astrology. Even Patriarch Kirill weighed in, urging the state to crack down on "occult practices" and "pseudo-religious teachings." Last summer, Russia's Supreme Court labeled the so-called (non-existent) "International Satanist Movement" as an extremist organization. By the end of 2025 Putin himself called for a fight against "Satanism, occult services, and sorcerers"—though he cautioned that this should be done carefully, without “violating citizens' rights”.
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All these decisions and statements reflect growing Russian concern over the popularity of spiritual services—nearly half of Russians (49%) reportedly hold positive views toward esotericism, prompting the director of the state polling agency VCIOM to comment on the country’s “dumbing down.”
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And yet, even as the state publicly denounces mysticism, thousands of astrologers, tarot readers, and energy healers continue to thrive online attracting huge audiences and, often, reinforcing Kremlin-aligned worldviews. Because astrology is not just about love matches and Mercury retrogrades—it’s a language for making sense of uncertainty. A framework for interpreting the world. And increasingly, a soft vehicle for legitimizing political narratives.

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Politics in the Stars
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According to our data, at least 15% of the most popular Russian esoteric Telegram channels have published predictions or commentary on political developments in Russia and beyond (as of September 2025). In the overwhelming majority of cases, they align with Kremlin talking points. 
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These channels focus on topics like Putin's decisions and future, Zelensky's fate, the outcome of the war in Ukraine, or major international events such as peace talks or elections—all embedded within their regular astrological feeds and alongside promotions of spiritual services. Some even perform ritual "curses" on Zelensky or on Ukraine more broadly. The five largest politically engaged channels each have over 100,000 subscribers.
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One might assume that this behavior is limited to marginal channels with niche followings—but the data suggests otherwise. When we mapped 730 Russian esoteric Telegram channels by shared audience, we found politically active and semi-political channels not isolated in some corner of the network, but scattered throughout it. There is significant audience overlap: users who follow seemingly "neutral" astrology channels also subscribe to ones that regularly—or at least occasionally—interpret current events through a cosmic lens.
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The one exception: a cluster of highly commercial accounts focused purely on daily horoscopes and motivational content. In those, politics was entirely absent.
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Why turn to astrologers for political meaning?
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Many astrologers don't shy away from this question. Some openly admit they have no political expertise—"It's not my thing," they write—yet still feel compelled to chime in. "I decided to step outside my comfort zone," says one tarot reader. "It's an exception—but I was curious, so I pulled some cards." Others stress their neutrality: "I'm not here to pick sides. Putin, Biden, Zelensky—I treat them all the same. My job is to read the stars." Yet in practice, their interpretations consistently carry clear political overtones.
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One illustrative example: when Putin and Trump met in Alaska last year, astrologically inclined and pseudo-prophetic channels rushed to frame the event as confirmation that their earlier forecasts were coming true—a convenient way to bolster both their own credibility and the weight of past predictions.

Yet these forecasts almost never strayed from the Kremlin's official line. One channel, @tarotnevrut, reminded its followers of earlier "visions" about "the return of something that someone considers historically theirs." Another, @crazyprophecies, operating under the guise of "prophecies" but more accurately described as conspiracy-laden, insisted the venue was chosen intentionally, claiming "the place is energetically OURS, even if it still belongs to America."
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This echoes familiar Russian narratives about Alaska's supposed "return" to Russia. Within these narratives, Putin emerged as the "master of the moment," entering a phase of global ascendancy, while Trump carried "weaker energy," symbolizing America's decline as world hegemon. In parallel, Zelensky was cast as a sacrificial figure "nearing the end of his path," with Ukraine itself portrayed as doomed to "collapse and transformation."
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Posts were often accompanied by tarot spreads or recycled video clips, reinforcing the idea that "the cards never lie"—and giving the impression of the mystical inevitability behind Ukraine's downfall and a "new redistribution of the world."

But intentional or not, such commentary helps normalize state narratives, especially for audiences who never came for politics in the first place. And precisely because these readers are often seen as “non-political,” their messages may carry even more weight—couched in mysticism, not ideology.
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‍Key Narratives Found on Esoteric Channels 
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Even channels that rarely post about politics occasionally engage with political narratives. Among the most common topics are:
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1. Love for Putin

Putin is by far the most astrologically analyzed political figure in the Russian esoteric space. Even on otherwise apolitical channels, one can find natal charts (astrological birth charts mapping planetary positions at birth), numerology breakdowns, and “quantum energy” forecasts for the Russian president. Tarot readers interpret his interviews with Tucker Carlson; astrologers offer personality breakdowns of “Saturn-dominant” leaders like Putin. In daily horoscopes, reminders like “Don’t doubt yourself—you’re a Libra, just like Putin” are common. One channel joked that “it’s time to start making babies—after all, Putin said we need to fix the demographics!”
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2. Hatred for Zelensky

While Putin is elevated as a symbol of wisdom and strength, Zelensky is typically framed as weak, tyrannical, or on the brink of death. Astrologers dive into his birth chart or speculate on his fate—often while pushing fake narratives about drug use or mental instability. 
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3. May 9th Glorification
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Over the past two years, an increasing number of esoteric channels have posted messages tied to May 9th (Victory Day). These posts often lack spiritual content—but they help reinforce the symbolic power of the holiday, which plays a central role in Russian wartime propaganda.
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4. War as Cosmic Order
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War and connected to it events are often interpreted through planetary alignments. Some channels offer talismans or protective prayers for mobilized men. Others use tarot to explain Prigozhin’s rebellion, predict the outcome of peace talks, or justify repression. One astrologer framed a regional governor’s death as the fulfillment of a “Hanged Man” prophecy. Another said: “A perfect world without war? That’s like a perfect diet with no animal protein.”
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5. Divination as Geopolitics
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Even channels that usually avoid current events release grand predictions at year’s end. Their teaser questions tell the story:
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— “What will happen with Russia and Ukraine?”
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— “What virus is the West preparing next?”
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— “Will the Kakhovka Dam be destroyed?”
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— “Will Zelensky be ousted?”
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— “Will Trump’s victory bring peace?”
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— “Where is the safest place to be?”
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It’s bigger than just Telegram

Our data is based on Telegram posts—but even this likely underestimates the real scale. Telegram is where services are promoted, not always where political commentary lives. The big predictions often happen on YouTube or in livestreams.

Take Tamara Globa, one of Russia's most famous astrologers. Her Telegram channel consists mostly of personal notes and video links—which is why it was marked as "neutral" in our network graph—but her interviews draw millions of views. In her video titled "What Awaits the World in 2025" (1.8 million views), she confidently discussed the future of the Ukraine war, Trump's election, and the fate of YouTube in Russia. This suggests that the true scale of politicized esoteric messaging is significantly underestimated—especially when much of it circulates through video content beyond the reach of text-based Telegram analysis.

And the landscape may shift further still. In early 2026, Russia began throttling Telegram and announced a full block from April 1st. Whether esoteric channels will migrate to MAX or scatter across other platforms remains to be seen.
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Our findings are supported by a recent undercover investigation by The Christo Files, in which prominent Russian astrologers were approached with requests to deliver customized political narratives—and agreed. Some openly described packaging propaganda as cosmic insight; others presented fabricated personal stories back to the investigators as “genuine” readings from the stars.
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Methodology
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We extracted the top Telegram channels in the “Esotericism” category using ERR (engagement rate by reach) and subscriber count, resulting in an initial set of 156 channels. We expanded this pool via two rounds of snowball sampling (based on “similar channels”), and manually excluded inactive, private, Ukrainian, or off-topic channels. The final dataset included 730 Russian channels related to esotericism and bordering topics like personal growth, meditation, and spiritual guidance. Data was collected in September 2025.

To detect political content, we manually reviewed recent posts for keywords like “Putin,” “Ukraine,” “war,” “Zelensky,” “Trump,” etc. Channels were marked “political” if such content was a consistent feature of the feed; “semi-political” if it appeared occasionally, especially around major events.