Resurrections for Roubles: Adventures with Modern Russia's Psychics, Sects, and Sorcerers

What happens to a country when its ideologies and beliefs are discredited overnight?

As the Soviet Union crumbled, a centuries-old belief in the occult emerged from the shadows, turning Russian society on its head. As millions clambered for ideas to replace the certainties once supplied by the Soviet system, state television replaced beetroot production reports with "psychic-healing" sessions. Town halls that had once hosted Communist Party meetings now saw sorcerers armed with ouija boards attempting to conjure up Lenin’s spirit. Old women openly sold magical charms against AIDS in city markets. State journalists transformed overnight into wild-eyed “psychic healers”. Pravda ran horoscopes.

Today, in Vladimir Putin's Russia, this passion for the paranormal is as strong as ever. From the alleged Kremlin agent who offered to resurrect the victims of the country's worst ever terrorist attack (for $1,500 a corpse) to the wildly popular urban witches and wizards who use the dark arts to "resolve" business and personal problems, modern-day Russia is a land mad for magic. In Resurrections for Rubles, journalist Marc Bennetts journeys deep into this national obsession with the occult.

Marc Bennetts is a British journalist and author who has reported from Russia, Iran and North Korea. His work has appeared in The Guardian, Esquire, The New York Times, The Times, and other publications. He is also the author of Kicking the Kremlin – Russia’s New Dissidents and the Battle to Topple Putin (Oneworld 2014) and Football Dynamo – Modern Russia and the People’s Game (Virgin 2008).