‘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.
On June 25, Russia’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against blogger and self-styled pickup coach Alex Leslie (real name Alexander Kirillov). He’s now under investigation on suspicion inciting rape. The case was launched shortly after State Duma deputies Yana Lantratova and Ksenia Goryacheva contacted law enforcement over reports of street harassment targeting women in central Moscow.
According to the Telegram channels Kosa and Ostorozhno Moskva, multiple young women in various Moscow neighborhoods were approached by men who groped them — grabbing their buttocks — and then either propositioned them for sex or fled the scene. Some of the assailants had accomplices filming the encounters. When one woman went to the police, she was reportedly asked, “Was it really so serious that you need to file a report?” The complaints from Muscovites kept coming in over the following days. Among the victims was a 17-year-old girl.
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It turned out that the assaults were linked to a “training program” launched by Alex Leslie — who brands himself as a “sex guru” and “seduction expert.” Leslie has built a business around workshops, webinars, courses, and “pickup guides.” He’s also published at least eight books with titles like Life Without Underwear and Hunting the Male.
But Leslie is perhaps best known as the former mentor of model and escort Nastya Rybka (real name Anastasia Vashukevich), whose Instagram photos were at the center of a 2018 Anti-Corruption Foundation investigation into Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
Shortly after that investigation was released, Leslie and Rybka were arrested in Thailand, where they had been hosting “sex training” seminars. Both received suspended sentences and were then deported. Upon returning to Russia, they were arrested on charges of involvement in prostitution. However, it appears the case never went to trial; Leslie and Rybka were quickly released from custody, and there were no reports of a conviction.
Judging by their Instagram accounts — each with more than half a million followers — Rybka has spent the last few years living in Moscow and working on a blog for women, while Leslie has continued publishing books and leading “seduction” courses.
‘Women are always complaining’
On June 17, Leslie announced a new “body training” session on his Telegram channel, writing, “Now’s the perfect time to join our team and pick up all the girls.” He instructed his followers on how to “push for sex.” The task, he said, involved approaching 30 strangers in 30 minutes and saying something to each one — like a compliment or a line like, “Hey, you’re hot, let’s have sex in the bathroom.” He also advised disregarding women’s objections, saying, “It’s no big deal if they complain. Women are always complaining to someone. Get used to it.”
When reports emerged that some of the women targeted by his followers had gone to the police, Leslie responded: “Guys, you know why the girls are [reacting] so negatively? Because you’re doing it wrong. What did I say? Go up, grab her ass, and take her to the bathroom. And since you didn’t finish the job, they’re mad. You were supposed to take each one to the bathroom and fuck her there.”
Leslie dismissed the women’s complaints to the authorities as “chick manipulations,” adding: “Thankfully, the police responded appropriately. They just blew them off. What’s the big deal if someone grabs your ass? If you didn’t like it — tell him to get lost. If you did — get to know him and sleep with him. That’s a healthy attitude.”
Overall, Leslie has tried to seize on the media attention as a publicity opportunity. He has spoken frequently to journalists, promised to release a new “hardcore” training program, and claimed the criminal investigation had only boosted his status as a “cult figure.” “Might as well ban my books while you’re at it,” he quipped on June 26 — just before the publisher Eksmo announced it would pull his titles from sale. Leslie, who currently lives in Poland, doesn’t seem concerned that he’ll be arrested either.
‘No concept of consent’
Alex Leslie has been teaching “seduction” techniques for nearly two decades. His first book on the subject was published back in 2006. In 2023, Baza ran an article on Russia’s enduring pickup scene, describing Leslie as “one of the country’s most notorious and scandalous pickup artists.” The story opened with an account from one of his students, describing an “exercise” that mirrors the same tactics Leslie’s followers appear to be using today:
It was scary to do the assignment… I got into character, switched on the mindset of a bastard who’s allowed to do anything. The girls flinched, but I could feel they were into it. I walked up to one, grabbed her ass with my whole hand — she didn’t resist, just smiled. She said she had a boyfriend… Then came a string of failures. I lost the mindset, forgot I was allowed to do this — the girls went cold. One of them slapped me… I did the last few attempts even though I didn’t want to anymore.
Psychologist Amina Nazaralieva told Baza that such practices amount to sexual violence and teach men to see women as objects. “What’s truly disturbing,” she said, “is that these men aren’t developing any concept of consent. […] This can increase the risk of future violence. Yes, there are men who lack confidence and need support in learning how to talk to women — but those skills should be grounded in mutual respect and consent.”
Baza also noted that, under Russian law, men who grope underage girls in public risk facing criminal charges for lewd acts. “But if the girl is 16 or older,” the outlet explained, “the most a pickup artist is likely to face is a misdemeanor charge — a fine or up to 15 days of jail time.”
On June 27, Russia’s state-run news agency TASS reported that two of Leslie’s alleged “students” had been arrested in Moscow and sentenced to 15 days for petty hooliganism related to street harassment. However, the Telegram channel Baza claimed the two men hadn’t actually trained under Leslie and had “simply decided to harass a passing woman.” Police also arrested Alexey Bashin, one of Leslie’s followers, on criminal charges of sexual violence. A fourth man, Danila Prygunkov, was sentenced to 11 days in jail for petty hooliganism, Mediazona reported.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of rape or sexual assault, please reach out to one of the following resources for support:
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (for U.S. readers)
Rape Crisis Network Europe (for E.U. readers)
Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime (for Canadian readers)