Politics

A 51 year old shaman is walking from Siberia to Moscow in an eccentric bid to banish the Russian President Vladimir Putin, who he considers to be “not a man, but a demon”. On arrival in Moscow he intends to “expel Putin’s evil spirit from the Kremlin”.

Alexander Gabyshev left Yakutsk, capital of the vast Sakha Republic, on March 6th this year. He considers his quest to be divinely ordained, and insists that Putin is a manifestation of dark forces which must be banished to save Russia from ruin. God has one condition: Gabyshev has to reach Moscow on foot, which should allow him to muster the strength needed for the final showdown.

Gabyshev hopes to reach Moscow in 2020, as the Russian capital is over 4,800 kilometres away from Yakutsk, although he has been receiving hospitality and help from well-wishers along the way, as well as attention from journalists.  Only his dog and a friend who is chronicling the journey are permanently by his side.

But Gabyshev is also attracting the support of oppositionists: when he arrived at the city of Chita on July 12th, he addressed a crowd of around 700 people on the city’s Ploshchad Truda (Labour Square). He told supporters and curious onlookers to “live freely” and “not take orders from Putin”.

Putin himself is known to be somewhat superstitious, especially about Jews. He has enjoyed support in the past from those who see the world somewhat differently to most: in February of this year a coven of witches  performed a “circle of power” as a way of sending mystical energy to help defeat his enemies. The ritual is said to be one of the most powerful in Russia.

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