A Moscow court on Thursday remanded the self-proclaimed witch Alyona Polyn, known for casting spells in support of President Vladimir Putin, shortly after she collapsed in court, state media reported.
Polyn, whose real name is Yelena Sulikova, was detained in the Moscow region earlier this week on charges of disseminating “extremist” literature and “insulting believers’ religious feelings.”
She is accused of sharing reading materials that call for “violence against the Russian Orthodox Church clergy” and posting videos online that insult people of faith.
According to the state-run TASS news agency, Polyn fell into a seizure and hit her head against metal bars several times inside the courtroom’s holding cell on Thursday. Before collapsing, she reportedly pleaded guilty to some of the charges against her.
Polyn received medical attention but was not hospitalized. The court later ruled to place her in pre-trial detention, TASS reported.
The self-proclaimed witch rose to fame after she starred as a contestant on the reality television show Bitva Ekstrasensov, the Russian version of America’s Psychic Challenge. And she gained wider attention in 2019 for casting a spell in support of Putin.
TASS reported that Polyn told the judge during Thursday’s hearing that she was wanted by the Ukrainian special services but did not provide evidence for the claim.
“My mission was always the same, that is to help Russia,” she was quoted as saying.
