Hunting the Siberian shaman: Russia continues to place pressure on man who promised to 'expel Putin'
The Siberian shaman Alexander Gabyshev, who had been walking to Moscow for six months, has been sent back to Yakutia, but his comrades-in-arms continue their journey and promise to reach Moscow by 2021. This is what is known about the “sorcerer” who scared the Russian authorities.
What is known about the shaman
Calling himself a shaman, Alexander Gabyshev is a resident of Yakutia (the extreme north of Russia). Prior to his arrest on September 19, he had walked along Siberian routes for six months. Gabyshev promises to reach Moscow by 2021 and rid Russia of its current president, whom he calls the creation of dark forces.
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Gabyshev is 51 years old, he has a college education, but he never worked in his specialty. Before the start of his campaign in March of this year, he was a janitor, and even a little earlier, a welder.
“Democracy should be without fear. Now people are afraid to speak, they are afraid that they will be fired, their salaries will be revoked. It’s just that our state power is unlimited, demonic. The people are driven into artificial depression. The healer will cure natural depression in one fell swoop, and this artificial one only with witchcraft. The sorcerer has caught up with his illusion of fear, depression throughout the country, but a white sorcerer – such as I – can dispel this obsession. The politician is useless here – witchcraft for witchcraft,”Alexander shared his views in a Radio Liberty report.
Repression
The man who calls himself a white magician, called to free Russia from the “demonic power” of President Putin, has been under house arrest for several days. The pressure on his supporters seems to be continuing: this time, four people were detained in the Siberian city of Irkutsk. However, they were soon released. This is the third arrest in a month associated with the name of Alexander Gabyshev, who calls himself a shaman.
The shaman himself, promising to “expel Putin” with the help of magic, was detained on the night of September 19. He was returned to Yakutsk by plane and “taken” to a psychiatric hospital in this city, but human rights activists could not find him there.
“Even earlier, in September, supporters of the shaman were detained in Buryatia. There it provoked a protest of the local population – on September 9, resonant actions were held in the central city of this republic of Ulan-Ude demanding the release of detainees.
Supporters of the shaman are reportedly continuing their journey after the detention of their leader.
How many associates does he have?
To date, Gabyshev has traveled about three thousand kilometers. On the way, he preached and actively communicated with local residents and drivers of passing cars. Several rallies were held along the Gabyshev route, which local media described as ‘mass.’
Videos with Gabyshev, shot by people he met on the road, and his videos are gaining more and more popularity.
Journalists and bloggers who met the shaman say that during the day Gabyshev talked to dozens of drivers who stopped when they saw him walking along the curb. These meetings markedly reduced the speed of advancement to Moscow.
What threatens Gabyshev
The authorities accuse Gabyshev of extremist appeals. For “a public call for violent actions against the President of the Russian Federation V.V. Putin” Gabyshev faces fines, forced labor, or imprisonment of up to four years.
