In Kyiv, 27-year-old Bohdan Orishchenko, known as “the mage Veliar,” has been notified of suspicion. According to investigators, the man took advantage of the desperation of the mother of a 7-year-old boy with developmental disabilities and received 60,000 hryvnias from her for allegedly healing the child through magical rituals.
This was reported on November 13, 2026, by the Kyiv police and the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office. Law enforcement officials did not officially name the suspect, but according to Ukrainska Pravda, the person in question is Bohdan Orishchenko, who presents himself as “the mage Veliar.”
How the mother of a sick child came to the “mage”
According to investigators, in May 2025, a woman from Kharkiv region who was raising a 7-year-old son with a severe diagnosis and behavioral disorders contacted the man.
The child’s condition requires specialized care and corrective support from professionals. However, hoping to improve her son’s health, the mother came across an offer of “magical healing” online.
Investigators established that the suspect had created pages on social media and other online platforms where he advertised paid esoteric services, including promising to cure various illnesses.
The woman communicated with the man via messenger. He persuaded her to pay for consultations and special remote rituals that could supposedly help her son. In total, the mother transferred 60,000 hryvnias to him.
The prosecutor’s office said the suspect took advantage of the woman’s vulnerable psychological state, and she never received the promised help.
“His rituals had no effect except to enrich the so-called mage.”
“Golden buffaloes” for 9,000 hryvnias and candles to ward off “curses”
According to the prosecutor’s office, the suspect’s earnings were not limited to paid consultations and rituals. He also held esoteric “marathons” and sold products to which he attributed supernatural powers.
His offers included:
Figurines of a “golden buffalo that helps millionaires” — for 9,000 hryvnias.
“Miracle candles” that supposedly remove “curses” and the evil eye — for 1,300 hryvnias.
To attract new followers, the man posted Tarot card readings about the course of the war and made sensational predictions.
In particular, he claimed that Kyiv residents would be transported from the right bank of the Dnipro River to the left bank by barges. He also spread claims that, during the war, mages and witches supposedly had special abilities not just to survive, but to live well.
He offered help even to families of missing soldiers
The prosecutor’s office said the man had become known through appearances on television shows. Using his popularity, he offered services to people facing difficult circumstances.
Potential clients included not only parents of sick children, but also relatives of Ukrainian service members who had gone missing.
Back in June 2026, it was reported that law enforcement was investigating the activities of Bohdan Orishchenko and Maria Arefieva, known as “the witch Maria Tiha.”
Member of Parliament Yaroslav Zhelezniak had previously raised concerns about possible fraud by esoteric practitioners, including targeting relatives of Ukrainian defenders who had gone missing. The current suspicion against Bohdan Orishchenko, however, relates to a specific incident involving money received from a child’s mother.
What penalty could the “mage Veliar” face?
Officers and investigators from the Darnytsia Police Department, together with cyberpolice, established the circumstances of the alleged fraud.
Under the procedural supervision of the Darnytsia District Prosecutor’s Office in Kyiv, the man was notified of suspicion under Part 4 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — fraud committed using electronic computing equipment.
The article carries a penalty of up to 8 years in prison.
Law enforcement officials urge anyone who may also have been affected by promises of healing or other “magical” assistance to contact the Darnytsia Police Department.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing. Under the Constitution of Ukraine, a suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a court judgment that has entered into force.
We wrote earlier:
- “Fortune-tellers” preyed on the grief of families of fallen soldiers: fraudsters to stand trial in Kyiv
- “Paid help” is a trap: fraudsters are targeting families of prisoners of war and people missing in action
- Astrologers, Tarot readers, and “secret control”: how esotericism made its way into politics
- The end of paid magic? Ukraine considers penalties for fortune-telling, esotericism, and occultism
- Under the guise of helping: how fraudsters target families of missing people and prisoners of war
