Russian Shaman To Sacrifice 60 Camels To Help Vladimir Putin Win Ukraine War

More than four years after the Russia-Ukraine war began, a resolution to the conflict remains elusive. Amid the stalemate, a Russian 'Supreme Shaman' is now planning to slaughter 60 camels in a bid to help President Vladimir Putin emerge victorious against Ukraine. As part of a shamanic ritual, Artur Tsybikov, 53, wants to sacrifice five animals every month to seek blessings from ancient Slavic gods.

Tsybikov is hoping to begin the animal-sacrifice ritual this month in Angarsk, near Irkutsk, an industrial city more than 4,000 kilometres (2,600 miles) east of Moscow.

"We want to send 60 camels to the Slavic gods to ask for their forgiveness, help and support," Tsybikov was quoted as saying by Metro. "All the ancestral gods will come. We will feed them, sit with them, talk to them and ask for forgiveness."

The shaman said the animals would be sacrificed on behalf of the people of Russia with the aim that the war comes to an end soon where Moscowhas emerged the victorious. 

This is not the first time Tsybikov has gone viral for his shamanic rituals. In 2019, he sacrificed five camels in a bid to strengthen Russia. In a conversation with AFP at the time, he said the ritual was part of traditional beliefs and is only held every 300 years.

"We must not disobey the gods," he said. "It's our tradition. I don't see anything wrong. We slaughtered them, cut them up and cooked them."

Despite the backlash from animal rights campaigners, the authorities refused to prosecute him for animal cruelty. His latest ritual is unlikely to receive any resistance as well, with critics fearing that those taking action will be seen as enemies of Russia.

"If you're against Artur, you're against Russia. If you start criticising him, you automatically become an enemy of the people," another shaman told the outlet.

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Russia-Ukraine War

Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, where he reiterated New Delhi's commitment to a peaceful resolution of the war.

"Glad to have had a productive telephone conversation with President Zelenskyy. We reviewed our wide-ranging bilateral cooperation and agreed to further strengthen India-Ukraine ties," PM Modi wrote in a post on X.

President Putin said last month that PM Modi has "very good ideas" on a mutual settlement of the Ukraine conflict and raises the issue at "every meeting".