Seeking answers in uncertain times: Ukrainians turn to tarot and astrology
Tarot cards are one of the ways Ukrainians seek insights about the future. The demand is growing not only for the services of tarot readers but also for the sale of tarot decks. PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK.
Svitlana Yeharmina
Published 18.11.2025 at 4:46
Updated 18.11.2025 at 4:48
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For two years in Finland, Ukrainian native Daryna Otchenashenko has turned to tarot readers several times. The first time was when her neighbour received a frightening diagnosis – cancer. The other times were to seek answers about her own future.
Still, Daryna says she doesn’t believe in predictions. Back in Ukraine, she worked as a journalist and knows well how the behind-the-scenes world of television shows about the supernatural really operates.
“For me, it was more like an affordable alternative to a psychologist,” she says. “I just wanted to hear that everything would be okay.”
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, many Ukrainians have found themselves seeking guidance and comfort from those who promise to explain the unknown – astrologers, psychics, magicians and tarot readers.
Demand and trust
Last year, the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) conducted a survey among 2,000 respondents across Ukraine. More than 35 percent said they trust astrologers, 25 percent trust psychics, and 15 percent trust tarot readers. Altogether, 43 percent of the respondents said they trust at least one of these practitioners. It was KIIS’s first survey on the topic, so there are no earlier results to compare levels of trust over time.
Data from Google Trends confirm a rise in interest: since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukrainians’ searches related to magic and predictions have grown significantly compared to 2021. Searches for the word “psychic” increased by more than one and a half times, while those for “tarot reader” tripled. The highest spikes occurred during the first year of the invasion.
Practitioners themselves also report an uptick in demand. Rita, a tarot reader living in eastern Finland who wants to use only her first name, says location hardly matters. Most of her Ukrainian clients are based in Germany. Thanks to digital technology, she notes, people can connect from anywhere with an internet connection.
The growing demand is also reflected in media attention: Ukrainian news outlets regularly quote astrologers and psychics, while videos featuring predictions gather millions of views.
For example, the Ukrainian YouTube channel «Мій світ» (My World), launched in May 2019, now has over 800,000 subscribers and nearly 304 million total views.
Last year, the Ukrainian socio-economic outlet The New Voice of Ukraine published an analytical piece examining the earnings of the ten most popular channels. Its infographics show that revenue figures have increased from two to two and a half times compared to 2021.
And according to a Forbes Ukraine article published this September, the market for tarot card sales in Ukraine is booming – it has doubled every year since the start of the full-scale invasion.
What Ukrainians want to know
Paranormal practitioners interviewed by Satakieli say that before the war, most Ukrainians sought advice about relationships. But after February 2022, the topics changed.
Now, people turn to them for answers about loved ones who have gone missing, remained in occupied territories, or are fighting on the front line. Among the most common questions is: When will the war end, and what will happen to Ukraine? Videos about Ukraine’s future and the end of the war also attract the highest view counts on YouTube.
Rita, a tarot reader, says: “People often come with an important question they’re afraid to take responsibility for. They want to let the cards decide for them.”
She adds that she has a regular job and doesn’t charge for tarot readings, though she accepts tokens of appreciation.
Such an approach, however, is the exception. The market for mystical services is largely commercial. In Finland, for example, a woman from Odesa offered Ukrainians “conversations with the souls of the dead.”
A single session cost €80, and for a “deeper connection,” several meetings were recommended. She also runs members-only Telegram groups, offering paid group sessions.
Other Facebook groups for Ukrainians in Finland advertise a range of similar services – from fortune-tellers and witches to magicians. Prices start at around €10 per session.
The “celebrity” tarot readers and astrologers – those who appear on television and are regularly featured in Ukrainian media – don’t post in such groups. Their consultations are booked weeks in advance, and a 30-minute session starts at about €200.
Why people turn to the paranormal
Researchers at the KIIS say the trend is easy to explain: war and stress make people vulnerable.
“Most Ukrainians have experienced severe psychological and emotional strain since the full-scale invasion,” executive director of KIIS, Anton Hrushetskyi says over Google Meet.
“Add to that a crisis of trust. The government, the church, and local leaders don’t inspire confidence, and new leaders have yet to emerge. In such circumstances, people turn to astrologers, fortune-tellers and psychics for answers.”
Tuomas Martikainen, a professor of religious studies at the University of Turku, explains in an email that uncertainty drives people to seek reassurance in different ways. Searching for answers to existential questions provides psychological relief.
Ukrainian psychotherapist and PhD in psychology Olena Liubchenko, who has more than 20 years of clinical experience, adds that people turn to magical practitioners not out of belief in magic, but to restore an illusion of control.
“The full-scale invasion destroyed the familiar structures of everyday life. People are looking for something, anything, to hold onto, even symbolically. When control is lost, a magical consultant says, ‘Here’s what will happen,’ and it gives a sense that life is once again manageable,” Liubchenko says over Google Meet.
“People want simple answers to complex questions. But simple explanations are always a temptation – a way to avoid doing the hard emotional work, because grief always demands enormous inner resources.”
Dangers and risks
Commercial services offered by magicians and tarot readers can carry risks: interference in financial and personal matters, and the danger of falling victim to fraudsters who exploit vulnerability.
Ukrainian media have reported numerous cases in which scammers posing as spiritual advisors deceived people out of their last savings.
Satakieli has found no confirmed cases of such fraud among Ukrainians in Finland. However, in some Ukrainian groups on social media, services are advertised by accounts that show signs of fraud: profile photos generated by artificial intelligence, only first names listed, and the accounts themselves are inactive and appear to be fake.
Anton Hrushchetskyi, executive director of KIIS, warns of another potential risk: some predictions may serve as a vehicle for propaganda.
“Narratives suggesting that the war will never end or that resistance is pointless can demotivate people and push them to leave Ukraine,” he says.
“The problem is that 80 percent of Ukrainians believe they can distinguish fake information from reliable sources. That’s an overestimation of their critical thinking skills.”
Still, turning to a tarot reader can also serve as a form of emotional support, a way to calm oneself.
“For some, tarot cards can be a tool for reflection – to understand what they truly want or fear,” psychotherapist Olena Liubchenko says.
“It can be useful if used consciously. The danger begins when we hand over our decision-making to someone else.”