‘What did I say? Go up, grab her ass’ Harassment campaign targeting Moscow women linked to ‘sex trainer’ involved in Deripaska scandal

Dozens of women in Moscow have reported being groped and propositioned for sex by strangers in the city center — incidents now linked to a “body training” course run by Alexander Kirillov, a.k.a. Alex Leslie. A self-styled “seduction coach” and “pickup artist,” Leslie was arrested in 2018 after becoming embroiled in a scandal involving an escort who leaked footage filmed on board oligarch Oleg Deripaska’s yacht. Today, he runs online “training programs” for men that openly encourage disregarding the concept of consent. Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case against Leslie, who currently lives in Warsaw, on suspicion of inciting rape. However, Leslie appears unconcerned by the charges and has used the growing public outrage to promote himself. In the meantime, several of his followers in Russia have been arrested for assaulting women on his advice.