Zheleznyak contacted the police and the Security Service of Ukraine regarding alleged fraudulent schemes involving a magician and a witch
On June 24, People’s Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak filed reports with the police and the Economic Security Bureau regarding individuals he refers to as “the witch Maria Tykha” and “the magician Veliar.” According to him, they may be involved in fraudulent schemes designed to swindle money from citizens.
On Wednesday, June 24, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, a Member of Parliament from the “Holos” faction, stated that he was filing complaints with the National Police and the Economic Security Bureau regarding the activities of “witch” Maria Tykha and “magician” Veliar.
He said this concerns possible fraudulent schemes and the illegal solicitation of money from citizens.
Zheleznyak claims that the activities of these “magicians” may be aimed at influencing a segment of Ukrainians who trust esoteric practices more than official sources of information.
“The authorities can obviously use these figures to influence the percentage of Ukrainians who trust psychics more than the news. And, mind you, that’s 40% according to various sociological forecasts,” the lawmaker noted.
According to Zheleznyak, his team studied these individuals’ activities and found that their “predictions” appear to echo certain information narratives, particularly regarding political figures and state institutions. He also cited a number of examples from complaints filed by citizens who, he said, lost significant sums of money after consulting “magicians” and “witches.” These included payments for removing curses, performing rituals, and searching for missing persons, after which clients allegedly lost contact with the service providers.
“One of Tykha’s possible schemes involves nighttime intimidation. No, she doesn’t actually appear in people’s dreams; rather, these are consultations that supposedly take place at night via voice messages. Sources say that the ‘witch’ intimidates her clients with ancestral curses and deadly spells,” the lawmaker stated.
Separately, he cited testimonies from citizens who reported significant financial losses. According to him, one woman took out a loan of 160,000 hryvnias to pay for “services,” after which contact with the service provider was lost. Another woman handed over approximately 180,000 hryvnias in cash for “treatment” that yielded no results. Yet another case involved a payment of 12,000 hryvnias for “searching for a missing soldier.”
Regarding Veliar, Zheleznyak noted that he also provides similar services at various rates—ranging from a few thousand hryvnias to tens of thousands of dollars for rituals and curses.
“But the most egregious case we were shown is the story of a mother who tried to cure her young son of a very serious illness… But when the child didn’t get better, he simply offered a new paid intervention,” the lawmaker added.
He also pointed out the discrepancy between the declared income and the reported earnings of those involved. According to him, the “witch” officially declared 7.3 million hryvnias in income for 2025, while she herself claimed significantly higher earnings—up to 30,000 dollars a month.
Separately, Zheleznyak stated that Veliar also declares income that does not fully match the amounts publicly stated. According to him, this may indicate possible violations of tax laws. The man himself claimed that his income reaches $100,000 per month, yet for the past year he declared only 9 million hryvnias.
“The alleged receipt of tens or hundreds of thousands of hryvnias for searching for missing persons or treating autism without providing any services constitutes a criminal offense, specifically fraud. However, the potential receipt of money on personal cards or in cash—that is, bypassing the sole proprietor’s account—constitutes tax evasion. It works the same way, both for ordinary people and for those who consider themselves famous magicians or witches—and even for the so-called famous witches and magicians like Yermak himself. “That is why we are filing a complaint with the National Police and the Economic Security Bureau, including all the evidence listed above and additional evidence that you will not see on air out of respect for the victims,” Zheleznyak added.
Earlier, three officials from the forestry sector in the Kherson region were notified that they were suspected of illegally cutting down more than 2,200 trees on the territory of the Velykooleksandrivka Forest District.
The prosecutor’s officeprevented the destruction of 20 plots of century-old forest near Bukovel.
