#Yevgeny Medvedev

[monticello-and-the-holy-grail]

[thomasthetankieengine]

hyperions-fate naively believing that "unending wars, occupations, drone assassinations, kidnappings and renditions, black site torture camps, strategies of ethno-sectarian tension, and all kinds of criminality" were only invented or regarded as acceptable methods of foreign policy since 1994. The only thing new about any of that are specifically drone assassinations as opposed to the apparently good old ways where you assassinated people with knives, swords, guns, or poison.

Trying to claim that Russia especially had to learn about forever wars, torture, kidnappings, prison camps, and ethnic hostility from "Western powers" is especially funny because… well…

Hyperion, buddy, do you not know what the Oprichnik and Cheka/OGPU/NKVD/KGB were?

Have you never heard of the Siege of Ryazan, Massacre of Novgorod, conquest of Siberia, Circassian genocide, Bloody Sunday, Red Terror, White Terror, Tambov rebellion, Katyn massacre, Medvedev Forest massacre, or Novocherkassk massacre? What about the numerous pogroms in the Russian Empire and during the Russian Civil War?

Are you somehow unaware of what happened to the Tsars, Feodor II, False Dmitry I, Ivan VI, Peter III, Paul I, and Alexander II? Or the other Russian royals, Saints Boris and Gleb or Alexei Petrovich, Tsarevich of Russia?

Are you unfamiliar with the fates that Boris Savinkov, Sidney Reilly, Alexander Kutepov, Yevhen Konovalets, Yevgeny Miller, Leon Trotsky, Andreu Nin, Noe Ramishvili, Yu Xiusong, and Raoul Wallenberg met at the hands of Soviet security forces?

From where I'm sitting, it sure doesn't seem like Putin and co. had to draw inspiration from the supposedly "new" tactics (though, of course, they were nothing of the sort) that Western countries had embraced c. 1994.

[mariacallous]

The arrests and violent interrogation of the four Tajikistani citizens suspected of carrying out the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack in Moscow last week appeared to mark the first time that Russian security agents have openly published footage of alleged terrorists being tortured. State media employees told the independent outlet Verstka that their superiors asked them to underscore the brutality with which the authorities had “dealt with” the suspects. Meanwhile, the officers themselves told journalists that they’re just responding to demand from the Russian people, who supposedly want to see “blood and revenge.” Meduza shares key points from Verstka’s reporting.

Caution: The following text contains descriptions of extreme violence.

‘This is just the beginning’

Hours after the first reports that the alleged perpetrators of the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack had been arrested, photos and videos of the suspects being tortured began appearing on Telegram channels associated with Russian law enforcement and security services. Two of the most widely shared videos — one showing a person cutting off Saidakrami Rachabalizoda’s ear and forcing him to eat it and the other showing Shamsidin Fariduni being electrocuted — have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times. Several of the users sharing the graphic footage, including neo-Nazi Yevgeny Rasskazov, offered to buy the knife used in the ear-cutting video. 

All four suspects were badly beaten before their first court appearance. One of them, Muhammadsobir Fayzov, was brought into the courtroom in a wheelchair and appeared to be nearly unconscious.

Russia’s state-funded and pro-government media has sought to play up the battered conditions of all four suspects during their court appearance. According to a source from a federal TV channel who spoke to Verstka, employees were told “not to say it outright but to emphasize” that the defendants’ “current appearances differ from the photos on their social media accounts.”

Security officials told Verstka directly that the publication of the torture videos “was sanctioned” and that they wanted the footage to spread as widely as possible. “Burned balls and a cut-off ear — that’s just the beginning. Next will be fingers getting cut off, one by one. It’s a prevention measure,” said an agent involved in the investigation. “Let these pansies know there are no virgins waiting for them in heaven. This kind of demonstration will make a lot of people think twice about consequences and keep them from making a bad decision.”

The source’s colleague had a slightly different explanation. “The population demands blood and revenge, so that’s what we’re showing them,” he said.

The public reaction from Russian officials seems to lend credence to the officers’ claims that the instructions to share the torture footage came from above. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has declined to comment on the videos, while Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has vowed to “kill everyone” who was involved in the terrorist attack. None of Russia’s security agencies have even reported launching any kind of internal review over the leakage of case materials.

‘This could hasten the return of the death penalty’

Federal officials who spoke to Verstka were less enthusiastic about the graphic videos going viral. “Maybe that really is the only way to deal with these kinds of terrorists, but aren’t we supposed to be getting away from Wagner-style approaches?” said a State Duma deputy from Russia’s ruling party. He continued:

Don’t we see something wrong with sledgehammers and cutting off people’s ears? These videos might not appease people — in fact, they may do the opposite. There are plenty of idiots in our country, including in the government, who are liable to torture people with electric shocks for anything from looking at them wrong to supposed “treason.”

The lawmaker also said that he fears the episode with the torture videos “could hasten the return of the death penalty”:

We’ve had various people in the government circling this idea for two years now. It’s good that people like Senator [Andrey] Klishas have continued speaking out clearly against the return of capital punishment. But these kinds of videos get people fired up. And even without this, I think, about 70 percent of citizens support the idea. And in the end, just to satisfy the momentary and emotional thirst for revenge among the majority, there might just be enough support to bring it back.

At the same time, another source close to the Kremlin said that he’s certain the federal authorities did not give their approval for the violent interrogation videos to be shared publicly. “I think the decision to publish them is linked to the unprecedented nature of the situation, and I don’t think we’ll see it happen again in the future,” he told Verstka.

[driftwork]

names, mostly surnames (1)

let me apologise for this partial list of names in the library,  titles available on request...

, Adorno, horkheimer, anderson, aristotle, greta adorno, marcuse, agamben, acampora and acampora, althussar, lajac kovacic, eric alliez, marc auge,  attali, francis bacon (16th c), aries, aries and bejin, alain badiou, beckett, hallward, barnes, bachelard, bahktin, volshinov, baudrillard, barthes, john beattie, medvedev, henri bergson, Jacques Bidet, berkman, zybmunt bauman, burgin, baugh, sam  butler, ulrich beck, andrew benjamin and peter osbourne, walter benjamin, ernest bloch, blanchot,  bruzins,  bonnet,  karin bojs,  bourdieu,  j.d. bernal, goldsmith,  benveniste, braidotti,  brecht,  burch, victor serge, andre breton, judith butler, malcolm bull, stanley cohen, john berger, etienne balibar, david bohm, gans blumenberg, martin buber, christopher caudwell, micel callon, albert camus, agnes callard,  castoridis, claudio celis bueno, carchedi and roberts, Marisol de la cadena,  mario blaser, nancy cartwright, manual castells, mark  currie, collingwood, canguilhem, mario corti, stuart hall, andrew lowe, paul willis, coyne, stefan collini, varbara cassin, helene cixous, coward and ellis, clastres, carr, cioren,  irving copi, cassirer, carter and willians, margeret cohen,  Francoise dastur, guy debord, agnes martin,  michele bernstein, alice, lorraine dastun, debaise, Gilles Deleuze, deleuze and gattari, guattari, parnet, iain mackenzie, bignall, stivale, holland, smith, james williams, zourabichvili, paul patton, kerslake,  schuster, bogue, bryant,  anne sauvagnargues, hanjo berresen, frida beckman, johnson, gulliarme and hughes, valentine moulard-leonard, desai,  dosse, duttman, d’amico,  benoit peters, derrida, hinca zarifopol-johnston, sean gaston,  discourse, mark poster, foucault,  steve fuller, markus gabrial, rosenbergm  milchamn, colin jones,  van fraasen,  fekete,  vilem flusser, flahault, heri focillon, rudi visker, ernst fischer,  fink, faye, fuller, fiho, marco bollo, hans magnus enxensberger, leen de bolle, canetti, ilya enrenberg,  thuan, sebastion peake, mervyn peake, robert henderson, reimann, roth,  bae suah,  yabouza, marco bellatin, cartarescu, nick harkaway, chris norris, deLanda, regis debray, pattern and doniger,  soame jynens, bernard williams, descartes, anne dufourmanteille, michelle le doeuff, de certaeu , deligny, Georges Dumezil, dumenil and levy,  bernard edelman, victorverlich, berio, arendt, amy allen, de beauvior,hiroka azumi,  bedau and humphreys,  beuad,  georges bataille, caspar  henderson,  chris innes,  yevgeny zamyatin,  louis aragon, italo calvino, pierre guirard,  trustan garcia, rene girard, paul gilroy, michal gardner,  andre gorz, jurgan gabermas, martin gagglund, beatrice hannssen, jean hyppolyte, axel honneth, zizek and crickett, stephen heath,  calentin groebner, j.b.s. haldane,  ian hacking,  david hakken,  hallward and oekken,  haug, harman, latour, arnold hauser, hegel, pippin, pinksrd, michel henry, louis hjelmslev,  gilbert hardin, alice jardine, karl jaspers, suzzane kirkbright, david hume,  thomas hobbes, barry hindus, paul hirst, hindess and hirst, wrrner hamacher,  bertrand gille,  julien huxley, halavais, irigaray, ted honderich, julia kristeva, leibnitz, d lecourt,  lazzaroto, kluge and negt, alexander kluge, sarah kofman, alexandre kojeve,  kolozoya, keynes,  richard kangston, ben lehman, kant,  francous jullien, fred hameson, sntonio rabucchi, jaeggi, steve lanierjones, tim jackson,  jakobson,   joeseph needham, arne de boever,  marx and engels, karl marx, frederick engels, heinrich,  McLellen , maturana and varuna,  lem, lordon, jean jacques-lecercle,  malabou,  marazzi,  heiner muller,  mary midgley, armand matterlart, ariel dorfman, matakovsky, nacneice, lucid,  victor margolis, narco lippi,  glen mazis, nair,  william morris,  nabis,  jean luc nancy,  geoffrey nash,  antonio negri,  negri and hardt, hardt, keith ansell pearson, pettman, william ruddiman, rheinberger, andre orlean, v.i. vernadsky,  rodchenko,  john willet, tarkovsky, william empson,  michel serres,  virillio, semiotexte, helmut heiseenbuttel,  plessner, pechaux, raunig, retort,  saito,  serres, dolphin, maria assad, spinoza,  bernard sharratt, isabelle stengers,  viktor shklovsky,  t. todorov,  enzo traverso, mario tronti,  todes, ivan pavlov,  whitehead, frank trentmann, trubetzkoy, rodowink, widderman, karl wittfogel, peter handke, olivier rolin, pavese,  robert walser, petr kral, von arnim,  sir john mennis,  ladies cabinet,  samuel johnson, edmund spenser,  efy poppy, yoko ogawa, machado,  kaurence durrell,  brigid brophy,  a. betram chandler, maria gabriella llansol, fowler,  ransmayr,  novick, llewellyn,  brennan, sean carroll,  julien rios, pintor, wraxall,  jaccottet, tabucchi,  iain banks, glasstone,  clarice lispector,  murakami, ludmilla petrushevskaya,  motoya, bachmann, lindqvist,  uwe johnson, einear macbride,  szentkuthy,  vladislavic, nanguel,  mathias enard,  chris tomas, jonathan meades,  armo schmidt, charles yu, micheal sorkin, vilas- matas, varesi, peter weiss,  stephenson, paul legrande,  virginie despentes, pessoa,  brin,  furst, gunter trass, umberto eco, reid, paul,klee, mario levero, hearn, judith schalansky, moorhead,  margert walters, rodchenko and popova, david king, alisdair gray, burroughs, ben fine, paul hirst, hindess,  kapuscinski, tchaikovsky,  brooke-rose, david hoon kim, helms,  mahfouz, ardret,  felipe fernandez-armesto,  young and tagomon,  aronson,  bonneuil and  fressoz, h.s. bennett, amy allen, bruckner brown, honegger, bernhard,  warren miller, albert thelen,  margoy bennett, rose macauley,  nenjamin peret, sax rohmer, angeliki, bostrom, phillip ball, the invisible commitee, bataille and leiris,  gregory bateson, michelle barrett and mary mcintosh, bardini, bugin, mcdonald, kaplan, buck-moores,  chesterman and lipman,  berman,  cicero, chanan,  chatelet,  helene cixous, iain cha,bers,  smirgel, norman clark, caird, camus,  clayre, chomsky, critchley,  curry,  swingewood,  luigi luca cavelli-sforza,  clark, esposito, doerner,  de duve, alexander dovzhenko, donzelot,  dennet, doyle, burkheim, de camp,  darwin,  dawkins,  didi-huberman, dundar, george dyson, berard deleuze, evo, barbara ehrenrich,  edwards,  e isenstein, ebeking, economy and society, esposito,  frederick gross,  david edgeerton,  douglas,  paul,feyerband,  jerry fodor,  gorrdiener,  tom forester, korsgaard,  fink,  floridi, elizabeth groscz, pierre francastel,  jane jacobs,  francois laplantinee,  gould,  galloway, goux,  godel, grouys, genette,  gil, kahloo, giddens,  martin gardner,  gilbert and dubar, hobbes,  herve, golinski, grotowski, glieck,  hayles, heidegger, huxley, eric hobsbawn, jean-louis hippolyte,  phillip hoare, tim jordan,  david harvey, hawking, hoggart,  rosemary jackson,  myerson,  mary jacobus, fox keller, illich,  sarah fofman, sylvia harvey, john holloway, han,  jaspers, yuk hui,  pierre hadot, carl gardner,  william james, bell hooks,  edmond jabes,  kierkegaard, alexander keen, kropotkin, tracy kidder,  mithen, kothari and mehta, lind,  c. joad,  bart kosko, kathy myers,  kaplan,  luce irigaraay, patrick ke iller, kittler,  catherine belsey,  kmar,  klossowski, holmes, kant, stanton,  ernesto laclau, jenkins, la mouffe,  walter john williams, adam greenfield, susan greenfield, paul auster, viet nguyen, jeremy nicholson,  andy weir, fred jameson,  lacoue-labarthe,  bede,  jane gallop, lacan,  wilden,  willy ley,  henri lefebvre, rob sheilds,  sandra laugier, micheal lowy, barry levinson, sylvain lazurus, lousardo, leopardo, jean-francois lyotard, jones,  lewontin,  steve levy,  alice in genderland,  laing, lanier, lakatos, laurelle, luxemburg,  lukacs, jarsh,  james lovelock, ideologu and consciousness, economy and society, screen, deleuze studies, deleuze and guattari studies,  bruno latour, david lapoujade,  stephen law, primo levi,  levi-strauss,  emmanuel levinas,  viktor schonberger, pierre levy, gustav landaur,  robin le poidevin,  les levidow, lautman, david cooper,  serge leclaire, catherine malabou, karl kautsky, alice meynall,  j.s. mill, montainge,  elaine miller, rosa levine-meyer, jean luc marion, henri lefebrve,  lipovetsky, terry lovell,  niklas luhmann,  richard may, machiavelli, richard mabey, john mullzrkey,  meyerhold, edward braun,  magri,  murray, nathanial lichfield, noelle mcafee,  hans meyer,  ouspensky, lucretius, asa briggs, william morris, christian metz, laura mulvey, len masterman,  karl mannheim, louis marin, alaister reynolds,  antonio  munoz molina,  FRAZER,  arno schmidt,  dinae waldman,  mark rothko, cornwall, micheal snow, sophie henaff, scarlett thomas,  matuszewski, lillya brik,  rosamond lehman , morris and o’conner,  nina bawden, cora sandel, delafield, storm jameson,  lovi , rachel ferguson,  stevie smith, pat barker, miles franklin, fay weldon,  crista wolff, grace paley, v. woolf, naomi mitchinson, sheila rowbotham,  e, somerville and v ross, sander marai,  jose  saramago,  strugatsky, jean echenoz, mark robso,  vladimir Vernadsky,  chris marker, Kim Stanley Robinson,  mario leverdo,  r.a. lafferty, martin bax, mcaulay, tatyana tolstaya,  colinn kapp,  jonathan meades,  franco fortini,  sam delany, philip e high, h.g. adler, feng menglong,  adam thorpe,  peeter nadas,  sam butler, narnold silver,  deren,  joanna moorhead, leonara carrington,  de waal,  hartt, botticelli,  charbonneau, casco pratolini,  murakami, aldiss,  guidomorselli, ludmilla petrushevskaya, ,schulz,  de andrade, yasushi. inoue, renoir,  amelie  nothomb,  ken liu,  prynne,  ANTIONE VOLODINE, luc brasso,  angela greene,  dorothea tanning,  eric chevillard,  margot bennett w.e. johns, conan doyle,  samuel johnson,  herge,  coutine-denamy, sterling, roubaud,  sloan, meiville,  delarivier manley, andre norton, perec, edward upward, tom mcCarthy,  magrinya,  stross,  eco, godden,  malcolm lowry,  derekmiller,  ismail kadare,  scott lynch, chris fowler, perter newman,  suzzana clarke,  paretky, juliscz balicki,  stanislaw maykowski, rajaniemi, william morris, c.k. crow,  ueys,  oldenburg,  mssrc chwmot,  will pryce,  munroe,  brnabas and kindersley, tromans,   lem, zelazny,  mitchinson, harry Harrison,  konstantin tsiolkovsky,  flammerion,  harrison, arthur c clarke, carpenter, john brunner,  anhony powell,  ted white, sheckley,  kristof, kempowski, shingo,  angelica groodischer,  rolin,  galeanom  dobin,  richard holloway,  pohl and kornbulth,  e.r. eddison,  ken macleodm  aldiss,  dave hutchinson,  alfred bester, budrys,  pynchon,  kurkov,  wisniewski_snerg, , kenji miyazawa,  dante,  laidlaw,  paek nam_nyong, maspero, colohouquon, hernandez,      christina hesselholdt, claude simon, bulgaakov,  simak,  verissimo,  sorokin,  sarraute,  prevert,  celan, bachmann,  mervin peake,  olaf stapledon,  sa rohmer,  robert musil,  le clezio,  jeremy cooper,  zambra,  giorgio de chirico,  mjax frisch,  gawron,  daumal,  tomzza,  canetti,  framcois maspero,  de quincy, defoe, green,, greene, marani,  bellatin,  khury, tapinar,, richmal crompton,  durrenmat,  fritz,  quintane,  volponi,  nanni balestrini,  herrera,  robert walser,  duras,  peter stamm,  m foster,  lan wright,  their theotokism  agustn de rojas, paul eluard,  sturgeon,  hiromi kawakomi,  sayaka murata,  wolfgang hilbig,  hmilton,  z  zivkovic,  gersson,  mallo,  bird,  chaudrey, Toussaint, Can Xue, Lewis Mumford, neitzsche, popper, zizek, scott westerfield, rousseau, lewis munford, tod may,  penelope maddy, elaine marks,  isabelle courtivron, leroi, massumi,  david sterritt, godard, millican and clark, macabe, negri,  mauss, maiimon, patrica maccormack, moretti, courtney humphries,  monad, moyn, malina, picasso, goldman, dambisa moyo,  merleau-ponty, Nicholson, knobe and nichols, poinciore, morris, ovid, ming, nail, thomas more, richard mabey,  macfarlane,  piscator,  louis-stempal,  negrastini, moore,  jacquline rose,  rose and rose, ryle, roszick, rosenburg, ravisson, paul ricoer,  rossler,  chantl mouffe,  david reiff, plato, slater, rowlands, rosa, john roberts,  rhan, dubios and rousseau, ronell,  jacques ranciere, mallarme,  quinodoz, peterpelbert, mary poovey, mackenzie, andrew price, opopper,  roger penrose, lu cino parisi,  gavin rae, parker and pollack,  mirowoski, perniola, postman, panofsky, propp, paschke and rodel, andre pickering, massabuau, lars svenddsen,  rosenberg and whyte, t.l.s. sprigger,  nancy armstrong,  sallis,  dale spender,  stanislavski,  vanessa schwartz,  shapin and shaeffer, sally sedgewick,  signs,  gabriel tarde,  charles singer, adam smith,  simondon,  pascal chablt,  combes, jon roffee, edward said,  sen,  nik farrell fox, sartre,  fred emery,  scholes, herbert spencer, ruth saw, spinoza,  raphael sassower, henry sidgewick, peter singer,  katarznya de lazari-radek,  piaget,  podach,  van der post, on fire, one press,  melossi and  pavarini,  pearl and mackenzie,  theirry paquot, tanizaki, RHS,  stone,  richard sennett,  graham priest,  osborn and pagnell, substance, pedrag cicovacki, schilthuizen,  susan sontag, gillian rose,  nikolas rose,  g rattery taylor, rose,  rajan,  stuart sim,  max raphael,  media culture and society,  heller- roazen,  rid, root, rossi, gramsci, showstack sasson, david roden,  adrew ross, rosenvallion, pauliina remes, pkato, peter sloterdijk, tamsin shaw, george simmel, bullock and trombley, mark francis,  alain supiot, suvin, mullen and suvin, stroma,  maimonides,  van vogt,  the clouds on unknowing, enclotic, thesis 11,  spivack,  kate raworth,  h.w. richardson,  hillial schwartz, stern, rebecca solnit, rowland parker,  pickering,  lukacs,  epicriud, epicetus, lucrtious,  aurelies,  w.j.oates,  thor Hanson,  thompson, mabey,  sheldrake,  eatherley,  plato, jeffries,  dorothy richardson,  arno schmidt,   earl derr biggersm  mary borden, birrel, arno schmidt,  o.a. henty,  berhard steigler,  victor serge,  smith,  joyce salisbury, pauer-studer,  timpanaro,  s helling, schlor, norman and welchman,  searle, emanuele severarimo,  tomasello, sklar, judith singer, walmisley,  thomas malthus,  quentin meilassoux,  alberto meelucchi,  mingione, rurnbull,  said, spufford and  uglow,  zone,  j.j.c. smartt, sandel, skater, songe-moller,  strawson,  strawson, strawson, raymond tallis,  toscano,  turkle,  tiqquin, diggins,  j.s. ogilivy, w.w. hutchings,  rackgam,  deiter roth,  dowell,  red notes,  campbell and pryce,osip brik, lilya brik, mayakovsky, zone, alvin toffker, st exupery, freya stark, warson, walsh, wooley, tiles and oberdick, timofeeva, richardson, marcuse,  marder,  wright,  ushenko, tolson, albebers and moholy- nagy, alyce mahon, gablik, burnett, barry, hill, fontaine, sanuel johnson,justin, block, taylor, peter handke, jacques rivette,  william sansom, bunuel and dali, tom bullough, aldius huxley, philip robinson, spendor, tzara,  wajcman, peter wohlleben,  prigogini,  paolo virno,  jeremy tunstall, theweliet,  taussig,  tricker,  vince,  thomss, williams,  vogl, new german critique,  e.p. thompson,  jean wahl, paul virilio, lotringer, christy wampole, verhaeghe, janet wolff, anna kavan, vergara,  uexkull,  couze venn, barry smart, vico,  vatimo, vernant, raoul vaneigem,  ibn warraq, vertov,  williams,  meiksins wood, norbert weiner, peter wollen,  h.g. wells,  michelle walker, , jeanne waelit  walters,  shaw and darlen, whorf,  ward and dubois,  john wright,  weinart, wolff, willis, wark, cosima wagner, j. weeks,  judith williamson,  welzbacher, erik olin wright, wittgenstein, kenny,  zeldin, wenders,  henry miller, wenkler, arrighi,  banks, innes, ushereood, kristeva, john cage, quignard,  t.f. powys, siri hustveldt, lem,  zelazny, mitchonson,  tsilolkovsky, toussaint, heppenstall, garrigasait, de kerangal, haine fenn, jean bloch,  geoff ryman, reve, corey, asemkulov, ernaux,  gareth powell, cory,  deleuze and guattari studies, cse, allain and souvestre, apolinaire, jane austen, john arden, aitmatov,  elizabth von arnim, paul auster, abish,  ackroyd, tom gunn, lorca, akhmatov, artuad,  simon armatige, albahari, felipe alfau, audem auden and soendor, varicco, barrico, bainbridge, asturias, ronan bennett, beckett, paul bowles, jane bowles, celine, bukowski,  wu ming, blissert,  kay boyle,  andrei  bely,  hugo barnacle,  BOLL,  isak dineson, karen blikson,  brodsky,  richmel crompton,  berry, barthleme,  mary butts, leonora carrington, cage,  chevhillard,  canetti,  cendres,  butor,  cortazar, danielewski,  bertha damon,  dyer, havier cercas, micheal dibden, marguerite duras, john donne, duras, durrell,  dorrie,  Fredric durrenmatt,  heppenstahl, eco, enzensberger, evanovich, fruentes,  farrell,  alison fell,  alisdair gray,  hollinhurst,  andre gide,  jean giono, gadda, henry green,  grass,  andre gorz,  william gibson,  joyce,  gombrowitz,  alex laishley, murakami,  herve guibert,  franz kafka,  juenger, junker, kapuscinski, laurie king,  kundera,  mcewan, ken macleod,  ian macdonald,  moers,  meades,  vonda macintyre,  nalmstom, maillert,  havier marias,  jeff noon,  anaus nin,  david nobbs,  peter nadas,  nabokov,  iakley, oates,  raymond queneau,  cesare pavese, paterson, ponge,  perte, perec, chinery, ovid,  genette,  kandinsky, robert pinget, richard piwers,  rouvaud, sloan, surrralist poetry, ilya troyanov, paul,raabe,  julien rios, arne dahl, pierre sollers, rodrigruez,  chris ross, renate rasp, ruiz, rulfo, tove jannsson, cabre,  vladislavic, tokarczuk, pessoa, jane bowles, calvino, lispector, lydia davis, can xue,  sebald, peter tripp,  hertzberg,  virginia woolf,  zozola, sorrentino, higgins,  v.w. straka, cogman, freud, jung, klein, winnecot, lacan,  fordham, samuels,  jung, freud, appignesai,  bjp, pullman, magnam, sybil marshall, mccarten,  galbraith, jewell,  lehmann,  levy,  levin, jung,  spinoza,  fairburn,  jung, sandler,  lacan,  laplanche,  pontalis, can, xue,  klein, cavelli, hawkins, stevens,  hanna segal, bollas,  welldon,  williams,  sutherland, buon,  symington,  morrison,  brittain,  sidoli, sidoli,  holmes, bowlby, winnecott,   bollas,  kalschiid,  malan, patrick casement,  anna frued, wittenburg,  liz wright,  fordham, fairburn, symington, sandler,  jung, balint,  coltart,  west, steiner,  van der post,  stern,  green,  roustang,  adrew samuels,  d.l. sayers,  salom, krassner,  swain,  rame and fo,  storr,  cogman,  hessen,  penelope fitzgerald,  cummings, richard holloway,  juhea kim,  glenville, heyer, cartland,  kim, cho,  atkinson,  james,  king, audten,  hartley,  du maurier,  bronte,  thomas, plath, leon,  camillairi, kaussar, fred fargas, boyd,  sjowall and wahloo,  pheby,  morenno-garcia, perrsson,  herron, nicola barker, arronovitch,  karen lord, stephen frosh, ernest jones, flamm o’brien, shin, mishra, chin jin-young and so on to the warm horizon

[sa7abnews]

The Russian ‘bad boy’ who brought tennis glory to his country

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/16/the-russian-bad-boy-who-brought-tennis-glory-to-his-country/

The Russian ‘bad boy’ who brought tennis glory to his country

With the 2023 Australian Open nearing its conclusion, we look back at a charismatic Russian former winner of the event

The Australian Open runs to its conclusion this weekend, with the first Grand Slam of 2023 set to be bookended on Sunday when the men’s championship match is played between record nine-time winner Novak Djokovic and debut finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. With the exit of Karen Khachanov in the semifinals at the hands of Tsitsipas, Russia is again left ruing a missed opportunity for glory in Melbourne after Daniil Medvedev was beaten in successive finals in the past two editions of the tournament. Indeed, it is fast approaching two decades since the last Russian man won the title Down Under. On that occasion it was Marat Safin, one of the most charismatic, combustible characters of his or any other generation of tennis talent. The second Russian to win the Australian Open after Yevgeny Kafelnikov in 1999, Safin struck gold in 2005 in Melbourne by coming back to beat local favorite Lleyton Hewitt in what was his last great individual triumph. Despite retiring prematurely in 2009, Safin is far from forgotten in the tennis world – as evidenced by a viral throwback photo from 2002 which circulated during the current edition of the Australian Open, and which featured the eye-catching female following in Safin’s box during his playing days. A playboy once described as a “two-meter embodiment of women’s dreams” by compatriot Dmitry Tursunov, Safin was often admired for his “frankness, outrageousness and charm” – married with no shortage of talent on the tennis court. The Australian Open was a tournament that Safin graced with all of those attributes, reaching the final three times. The re-emergence of the famous photo from 2002, where he allegedly partied before being beaten by underdog Thomas Johansson in the final, has led to many recalling one of the most colorful characters to have played the game.

Marat Safin's box in 2002 Australian Open, where he lost in the final to Thomas Johansson 😄 pic.twitter.com/B6m4bOghok— Luigi Gatto (@gigicat7_) January 13, 2023

Rise to the top   Born in Moscow to Tatar Muslim parents, Safin showed early promise as a tennis prodigy and moved to Valencia in Spain as a 14-year-old to access advanced tennis training programs. As a teenager who – in his own words – grew “very fast … with no muscles,” Safin felt that Spain’s clay courts would be better for his knees. The surface was arguably better for his overall career progression and development. After turning professional in 1997, he took the scalps of Andre Agassi and reigning champion Gustavo Kuerten at the 1998 French Open, before being eliminated in the fourth round by two-time Grand Slam finalist Cedric Pioline. Agassi pulled one back against Safin by beating him in the final of the Paris Masters in November 1999, but Safin had already tasted triumph by pipping Brit Greg Rusedski in an ATP final in Boston in August. Turning 20 on January 27, 2000, the new millennium ushered in Safin’s most successful year in which he set records that remain intact to this day. He won a Masters tournament in Canada, then beat four-time champion and 90s great Pete Sampras in straight sets at Flushing Meadows to become the third youngest winner of the US Open aged just 20 years and 228 days. 

A fresh-faced Safin won a stunning victory at Flushing Meadows in 2000.

©  Jon Buckle / EMPICS via Getty Images

Safin’s maiden Grand Slam title also saw him become the first Russian to win the title in New York – and it was a full 21 years until Daniil Medvedev became the second to do so by beating Novak Djokovic in the 2021 final. The youngest Russian winner of any major tournament, Safin went on to become the youngest player of the Open Era at the time to reach the world number one ranking with his number of titles (seven) the most on the ATP Tour that year.  “For me it was very strange in my experience reaching number one. I wasn’t ready for that because I couldn’t imagine just a few months earlier that I’d have the chance to become number in the world. I was Top 50, dropping, playing very badly,” Safin later confessed to ATPTour.com. “I underestimated myself… I didn’t believe in myself, and I was seeing myself weaker than others, which is unbelievable. Now I can understand tennis better.”

What a year 2000 was for Marat Safin…🔹 US Open champion🔹 ATP Finals semifinalist 🔹 Seven singles titlesOn this day 21-years-ago, the Russian reached the 🔝 of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career! pic.twitter.com/MgaqLwMpYd— US Open Tennis (@usopen) November 20, 2021

The fire and the fury  By now, Safin was building a reputation as a fiery personality who brought everything to the court and who would often take out his frustrations on his racket. Not only boasting generational talent, he had the heart to battle through adversity and was a must-see draw for the crowds, whether on fire at his unbeatable best or out of sorts due to his temperament. In the Paris Masters final of 2000 against Mark Philippoussis, for example, Safin became bloodied from diving for a volley and beat the Aussie with a bandage over his right eyebrow through five sets and a tiebreak.  While 2001 proved relatively quiet, save for two ATP finals victories in Uzbekistan and St. Petersburg, Safin reached his first Australian Open final in 2002 but was upset by Thomas Johansson – turning heads with the aforementioned entourage in his box along the way. Some years later, another controversial character in Daniel Kollerer claimed to have seen Safin partying and drinking before the match played in the run-up to his 22nd birthday.  “He [was] so drunk he can’t even walk on his two feet, it can not be that bad,” reminisced the German to Unbreakable Media while talking about his own descent into a hedonistic lifestyle. “He could never win because he was so drunk, unbelievable. He was celebrating the night before like it was his birthday party. He celebrated like he already won the Australian Open.”

Safin was often portrayed as something of a party boy.

©  Fairfax Media via Getty Images via Getty Images

Safin’s first French Open semifinal ended in disappointment too, and he also fell short of regaining his world number one spot. But he ended the year well by beating the holder of the spot, Hewitt, to clinch the Paris Masters again and by leading Russia to its maiden Davis Cup title in December.  A string of injuries blighted Safin’s 2003, as they did for much of the remainder of his career. Yet he returned to the Australian Open in fine form in early 2004 by topping number one seed Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals and Andre Agassi in the semi-finals, ending the American legend’s 26-match winning streak at the tournament. Those five-set affairs drained Safin, however, and rising star Roger Federer blew him away in straight sets in the final to become world number one for the first time in his career.  That year was another which started with disappointment but ended well for Safin. Losing his head at the French Open and receiving a $500 fine for “racquet abuse” but strangely not for dropping his pants, he blasted “all the people who runs the sport” in a memorable interview.

“They have no clue!” said Safin ranted. “It’s a pity that tennis is really going down the drain… They do everything that is possible just to take away the entertainment. You’re not allowed to do that; you’re not allowed to do this. You’re not allowed to speak whenever you want to speak…” Later, though, he claimed a third Paris Masters crown and became the first man to win the final two Masters of the calendar in the same year by sealing victory in Madrid.   Success Down Under and early retirement  In 2005, Safin got off to the best possible start by reaching his third Australian Open final in four years – and this time finishing the job. In the semifinals, he got his revenge over Federer by winning a five-set thriller, then swatting away Hewitt in the final in four sets after going one down. 

Safin tasted Grand Slam success for the second time in Australia in 2005.

©  Fairfax Media via Getty Images via Getty Images

Sadly, injuries would keep Safin off the court for the rest of the season. Save for winning the Davis Cup with Russia for a second time in 2006, Safin was often perceived as something of a spent force at the top level, except for becoming the first Russian to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon, where Federer beat him, even though Safin harbored an open disdain for grass.  Despite retiring prematurely in late 2009 aged just 29, Safin still boasted a storied career and was immensely popular as a player twice voted the ATP Fan Favorite. The men’s tour described him as a “must-watch player” and many felt he could have achieved more given his natural genius. For this and other facets of his personality, Safin is perhaps most comparable to modern day star Nick Kyrgios as his generation’s most eye-catching on-court presence but with a hint of nonchalance and accusations of underachievement – although unlike the Aussie, Safin does have Grand Slam success to his name. As with Kyrgios, Safin was known for often smashing his racquet – destroying a total 1,055 of them, according to his sponsor who kept count. 

In one of his last stands, at the 2008 Cincinnati Masters, Safin was booed various times by the crowd after throwing his racket and rowing with the match official. He still managed to end his career on good terms at the Paris Masters, though, where he was given the Bercy key after crashing out in the second round to Juan Martin Del Potro in November the following year. In an emotional farewell, Safin said: “Today I will put all my memories, all my wins and losses in a small box. Today a door is closed, hopefully another one will open.” Post-career life  Another door did open, and it happened to be in politics around two years later as Safin was elected to the Russian State Duma as a member of the United Russia Party. It was not to be a long-term career choice, however, and Safin stepped down from his role representing Nizhny Novgorod in May 2017. “I was young and unexperienced. They talked me into it,” he later claimed. “‘Polite’ and ‘likeable’ people. But I don’t regret it. I practiced and used my law degree, I have learned a lot. I got much more experience and finally, more importantly, six long years in the top politics on the federal level in such a huge country like Russia is an amazing achievement, and a very serious lesson.”

Safin pictured at an Australian Open ceremony in 2020.

©  Quinn Rooney / Getty Images

Safin, whose sister Dinara also enjoyed a successful professional career and reached three Grand Slam finals, went on to become an official for the Russian Tennis Federation and a member of Russia’s Olympic Committee. He stayed connected to the sport through coaching a Russia ‘Dream Team’ featuring Medvedev and Khachanov while attempting to recapture his Davis Cup glories after becoming the first Russian tennis player inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame in 2016. “We had ups and downs, we cried, we broke rackets, we shouted some words, we threw the balls out of the court, we insulted the referees, only sometimes,” Safin said at his induction with laughter. “But this is a part of our life. I’m just so pleased to be part of it. It’s a huge honor to be inducted and be part of history.”

Safin pictured at the ATP Cup in 2020 alongside current Russian tennis stars Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov.

©  Paul Kane / Getty Images

Making headlines for his views on Covid-19 during the pandemic, Safin has been out of the spotlight of late until his recent viral resurgence due to the photo circulating on Twitter from the Australian Open in 2002. That image did not even feature Safin himself, but rather the collection of fetching blonde women in his player’s box known as the “Safinettes” and boasted two Moscow models. Current Australian tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis even described Safin as the GOAT – greatest of all time – for the eye-catching team he had managed to assemble. Safin is said to have had no fewer than eight women in his player’s box during his run to the final in Melbourne, with a tour insider saying that the Russian “never has difficulty finding female supporters”. “His little black book would be pretty impressive,” the source added to Herald Sun.

Members of Safin’s entourage at the 2002 Australian Open.

©  Fairfax Media via Getty Images

The Melbourne daily newspaper wasn’t the only outlet to pick up on the Safinettes’ presence, as Channel 7 focused on them during Safin’s matches and on-court interviews. “I have to say thank you to all my family sitting over there,” he said to laughter on Center Court at the Rod Laver arena, while gesturing towards the ‘harem’, as the media dubbed them. Safin, who celebrated turning 43 on Friday, described Australia as a place that “stays in my heart.” “I have great memories from Australia. I played well and happy there,” he recalled.

👑 Former World No.1🏆 2000 US Open champion🏆 2005 Australian Open champion🏆🏆 2-time Davis Cup winnerHappy Birthday Marat Safin 🥳#HappyBirthday #MaratSafin #Tennis pic.twitter.com/o1DygcGRYz— Sportskeeda Tennis (@SK__Tennis) January 27, 2023

It perhaps seems unfathomable that a player on the current ATP tour could pull off such a stunt. Yet that was Safin – a unique entertainer full of charisma from a bygone era, but still remembered warmly and with many of his impressive records still intact. 

[christinamac1]

"Brink of catastrophe" should Wagner Group "bandits" get their hands on nuclear weapons.

 An ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned the world wouldfind itself on the “brink of catostrophe” should Wagner Group “bandits” gettheir hands on nuclear weapons. Dmitry Medvedev, Russia’s Security CouncilDeputy Chairman issued the warning as Yevgeny Prigozhin and his mercenariesmarched towards Moscow, prior to their dramatic U-turn in order to “avoidbloodshed”.  Mirror 25th June…

[summarychannel]

Wagner militias seek help from the army after the entry of huge Ukrainian forces, in preparation for the counter-attack New news of the Russian-Ukrainian war, presented by this episode of Samri channel.And starting with Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian National Security Council, who said in televised statements that the attempt by the German authorities to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, means declaring war on Russia, and that this will be answered by bombing the German parliament building and office. German chancellor with missiles. On the other hand, the European Union leaders approved at their recent meeting in Brussels a new military aid package for Ukraine that includes one million artillery rounds to be delivered over the next year. Despite this, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Western leaders that the reluctance to support Kiev with modern fighters and long-range missiles only prolongs the war and gives Russia an opportunity to rearrange its ranks.Finally, Yevgeny Prigozhin, commander of the Russian Wagner Combat Group, said that about 200,000 Ukrainian reserve forces are currently being prepared to launch a major counterattack against Russian forces in Ukraine, calling on the leadership of the Russian Ministry of Defense to move quickly to confront this scheme.

[newswireml]

Putin vows to strengthen Russia's nuclear forces after suspending role in New START treaty#Putin #vows #strengthen #Russias #nuclear #forces #suspending #role #START #treaty

Dmitry Medvedev, the former Russian president who along with President Barack Obama renewed the START deal for another five years in 2019, defended Russia’s right to use nukes if necessary. “If the United States wants to defeat Russia, then we have the right to defend ourselves with any weapons, including nuclear weapons,” he said on his Telegram channel Wednesday. However, Major-General Yevgeny…

[mubashirnews]

Former commander of Russia's Wagner Group apologises for fighting in Ukraine after fleeing to Norway | World News

A former commander of Russia’s notorious mercenary Wagner Group who is seeking asylum in Norway has apologised for fighting in Ukraine. Andrei Medvedev said he wanted to speak out about his experiences in the war – and within the private group owned by millionaire Yevgeny Prigozhin, who has ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin – so “the perpetrators are punished” for their crimes. “Many…

[news24fr]

Un ancien commandant présumé du groupe de mercenaires russes Wagner a demandé l'asile en Norvège, selon les autorités, après avoir déserté l'organisation qui a joué un rôle central dans certaines des principales batailles du conflit ukrainien. Andrey Medvedev, 26 ans, aurait traversé la frontière norvégienne près de la vallée de Pasvikdalen peu avant 2 heures du matin vendredi dernier, où il a été arrêté et détenu par des gardes-frontières.Le groupe russe Wagner "a autant de pouvoir au Kremlin que les ministres"Lire la suiteLa Direction norvégienne de l'immigration (UDI) a confirmé à l'Associated Press qu'Andrey Medvedev avait cherché refuge dans le pays mais "pour des raisons de sécurité et de confidentialité... ne peut pas commenter davantage cette affaire".La police, qui n'a pas confirmé son identité, a déclaré dans un communiqué à l'Agence France-Presse qu'un homme a été "interpellé par les gardes-frontières norvégiens et la police norvégienne à 00h58 (00h58 GMT)" vendredi matin."Il a demandé l'asile en Norvège", a déclaré Tarjei Sirma-Tellefsen, chef d'état-major de la police du Finnmark, dans le nord de la Norvège.L'avocat norvégien de Medvedev, Brynjulf ​​Risnes, a déclaré au Bbc que Medvedev était détenu à Oslo où il fait face à des accusations d'entrée illégale dans le pays et qu'il a déserté après avoir été témoin de crimes de guerre en Ukraine.Risnes a déclaré que son client n'était plus en garde à vue, mais dans un "lieu sûr" pendant l'analyse de son dossier. "S'il obtient l'asile en Norvège, cette accusation [of illegal entry] sera supprimé automatiquement », a déclaré Risnes."Il a déclaré qu'il était disposé à parler de ses expériences au sein du groupe Wagner aux personnes qui enquêtent sur des crimes de guerre", a déclaré l'avocat, ajoutant que Medvedev a affirmé qu'il avait servi en tant que commandant d'unité en charge de cinq à 10 soldats..La police norvégienne a déclaré avoir été prévenue jeudi soir par les gardes-frontières russes qui ont découvert des traces dans la neige pouvant indiquer que quelqu'un avait franchi illégalement la frontière. L'homme a été arrêté par les gardes-frontières et l'arrestation n'a pas été dramatique, a indiqué la police.L'avocat de Medvedev a déclaré lundi à l'AFP qu'après avoir traversé la frontière, son client avait recherché des habitants et leur avait demandé d'appeler la police.Medvedev est en fuite depuis qu'il a quitté le groupe Wagner le 6 juillet, selon l'agence de presse norvégienne BNT.Il aurait déclaré à un groupe russe de défense des droits de l'homme qu'il était prêt à dire tout ce qu'il savait sur le groupe Wagner, ses activités et son fondateur, Yevgeny Prigozhin, un millionnaire lié au président russe Vladimir Poutine.Le groupe russe Wagner mène des "batailles lourdes et sanglantes" pour le contrôle de SoledarLire la suiteLe groupe de défense des droits Gulagu.net, qui défend les prisonniers en détention russe, a entretiens publiés avec Medvedev, y compris un après sa traversée en Norvège, où il a détaillé son évasion dramatique."Quand j'étais sur la glace [at the border], j'ai entendu des chiens aboyer, je me suis retourné, j'ai vu des gens avec des torches, à environ 150 mètres (500 pieds), courir dans ma direction », raconte Medvedev dans une vidéo. "J'ai entendu deux coups de feu, les balles ont sifflé."Selon Gulagu.net, Medvedev a initialement signé un contrat de quatre mois avec Wagner début juillet 2022 et affirme avoir été témoin d'exécutions et de représailles contre ceux qui ont refusé de se battre et ont voulu partir.Le chef du groupe russe Wagner affirme que ses troupes ont pris le contrôle de SoledarLire la suiteSelon Risnes, Medvedev a déclaré "qu'il a vécu quelque chose de complètement différent de ce à quoi il s'attendait" après avoir rejoint le groupe de mercenaires privés, qui a été à l'avant-garde des batailles clés en Ukraine.Voulant partir et après avoir affirmé avoir été témoin de crimes de guerre en Ukraine, Medvedev a déclaré que son contrat avait été prolongé sans son consentement.

"Il a compris qu'il n'y avait pas d'issue facile, c'est alors qu'il a décidé de simplement courir", a déclaré Risnes.Medvedev aurait ensuite passé deux mois sous terre en Russie, avant de traverser la frontière norvégienne la semaine dernière.Le Guardian n'a pas été en mesure de vérifier de manière indépendante le compte de Medvedev.Le groupe Wagner comprend un grand nombre de condamnés recrutés dans les prisons russes qui ont mené des attaques en Ukraine. Le groupe est devenu de plus en plus influent en Afrique, où il a poussé la désinformation russe, noué des alliances avec des régimes et obtenu l'accès au pétrole, au gaz, à l'or, aux diamants et aux minéraux précieux.L'Associated Press et l'Agence France-Presse ont contribué à ce rapport

[chunkletskhl]

Sibir Novosibirsk (in blue) and Traktor Chelyabinsk are in a tight race for one of the last playoff spots in the KHL’s East Conference -- here’s a little piece setting the last couple of weeks of the 2018-19 regular season! The players, from left to right: Vasily Demchenko, Vladimir Peshekhonov, and Yevgeny Medvedev (Image Source)

[sovietpostcards]

Yevgeny Medvedev. Illustrations for Vladislav Krapivin’s “The Three From the Carronade Square” (1979).

[mariacallous]

How do members of Russia’s bureaucratic apparatus deal with the stress of waging a war? With their remedy of choice — alcohol. The independent outlet Verstka recently published a report about the drinking habits of Russia’s government officials, including their preferred type of vodka and whether Putin himself drinks at all. Meduza in English is publishing an abridged translation of the story.

In Russia, if you’re of deputy governor or higher rank, you drink. A lot. While Verstka’s sources disagreed on the exact definitions of alcoholism, they all said that those close to the Kremlin, in the Federal Assembly, and regional authorities drink on a regular basis. “They frequently miss meetings, show up drunk to events, and take illicit substances,” said one source.

“Let’s put it this way: Now, more than ever, employees in the president’s administration start their day with a glass of vodka — some even drink a bottle with breakfast,” says one source.

Another source tells Verstka that one regional governor has a particularly severe drinking problem and is completely unable to function without alcohol. His addiction is so severe that he’s even missed invitations from Putin for Federal Assembly meetings. On most mornings, someone is specifically tasked with searching for him or waking him with phone calls. When he does make it to meetings, he barely participates, instead “sitting there like a zombie.” According to the source, the governor’s drinking songs of choice are Soviet victory songs, the band Lyube (reportedly Putin’s favorite), and songs depicting Russian criminal culture. “He always drank, but never to this extent,” said one source, who explains that the governor’s recent behavior is caused by “the stress of the news, and pressure from both the Kremlin and local elites.”

In correspondence with Verstka, one regional governor from the Urals said that, since the moment the war started, he’s been drunk. He also said it’s been impossible for him to give up drinking — but he considers that “pretty normal.” After news broke of the Ukrainian counteroffensive, the deputy governor completely stopped responding to Verstka.

The tale of alcoholism within the Russian government wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the former President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev. Rumors about his drinking habits spread especially quickly after he started fiercely criticizing the West, and those against the war.

Many hide their struggle with alcoholism. One especially infamous case is that of Russia’s Emergencies Minister Yevgeny Zinichev, who died during a civil defense exercise in the Arctic city of Norilsk in September 2021. Spokespeople for the Emergency Situations Ministry said that Zinichev died while trying to save a filmmaker participating in the exercise with him, who also died during the incident. The truth is, however, that the minister and those accompanying him were all drunk, and it was actually the director that tried to save Zinichiev, who had slipped and fell into the water. “State media called Zinichiev’s death heroic. Wouldn’t it have been better if they had written the truth?” remarked one source.

Pick your poison

While Putin emphasizes his commitment to a healthy lifestyle, his government banquets tell a different story. One regional deputy governor tells Verstka that each guest drinks an average of 1.5 to two bottles (before, guests just got one).

Russian bureaucrats’ preferred alcoholic beverages? Cognac, champagne, and wine, according to a list of alcohol recently purchased for government functions. One order also included 5 million rubles (around $59,600) worth of vodka — imported from Spain, France, and Italy. “Neither the war, nor the sanctions that followed, have been able to stop the conveyor belt of alcohol coming into Russia. On the contrary, many Western companies that said they’d pull out of the Russian market never made good on their promises,” said one source. Such companies include the French whiskey, rum, and cognac manufacturer Pernod Ricard, and the Czech brewery Budweiser Budvar. Almost every government office in Moscow is stocked with ultra-expensive alcohol, like Remy Martin Louis XIII Grande Champagne premium cognac, and luxury varieties of Château Margaux wine.

There are even high-level officials and businessmen that distill their own alcohol, like the oligarch Gennady Timchenko. And who can forget about Medvedev and his moonshine? According to some sources, Medvedev would gift his homemade brew to members of the government and foreign leaders.

After the start of the counteroffensive, and the arrest warrant against Putin, bureaucrats and members of the elite started to drink hard liquor, such as Grey Goose from France and Belvedere from Poland, according to sources from the Moscow authorities. “The scariest part — now even women have started drinking without shame,” said one source.

What about Putin?

Six months into the war, Putin decided to address the issue of alcoholism across Russia — something he’s done on only a few occasions. “We shouldn’t sweep things under the rug [...], we must address the most severe issues,” said Putin. Later, in a meeting with another governor, he said that “we shouldn’t ban anything, we shouldn’t raise the prices too much.” On the contrary, he said there should be “propaganda to encourage a healthy lifestyle,” and “improve exercise infrastructure.”

Putin is alleged to be particularly concerned about the drinking habits of those in his inner circle who try to drink away the stress of sanctions and war — the President says they should be able to easily carry out their work sober.

According to social media, the President himself almost never drinks. One source reveals that he “looks at those who drink, get drunk, who aren’t alert first thing in the morning, with disdain.” Despite this assessment, some sources say he’s somewhat of a wine connoisseur, and is also quite a fan of beer. An investigation by the Anti-Corruption Foundation even found that Putin’s palace boasts a sort of “beer terrace” on the property.

So what do bureaucrats get up to when they’re not indulging?

While alcohol is definitely the most popular form of escapism, it’s far from the only one. According to a source close to Verstka, bureaucrats can be divided into three different groups based on how they cope with the stress of war. “The majority are those who follow Putin blindly, do their work quietly, and make sure not to say anything, or even think anything, that appears as though they are questioning their tasks,” said the source.

The second group includes those who believe the country has “found itself at a dead end, and believe there’s no point in working anymore.” Most of those in this group are “honest workers,” who have spent “years building their reputations.” Now, they just work in order to fulfill their basic responsibilities. In terms of their interests, they prefer “alcohol, sports, and sex.”

“Many guzzle down vodka,” said one source, “One of my friends has taken to running marathons, while another has managed to hit on almost every woman that works for him.”

The third group finds solace in “good deeds,” making themselves feel better by, for example, “supplying a grandmother with firewood for the winter, or fixing her pathway,” said one source.

These government officials reportedly “saw that things were going to shit, jumped to fix them, but quickly realized that their ability to do so is extremely limited. That’s why, with few exceptions, they’re either stealing like there’s no tomorrow, indulging in alcohol and sex, or taking up sports.”

Another source remarked, “most understand their work is meaningless. That’s why this job simply cannot be done sober.”

[jatur]

1:07 about Dasha's childhood: she said there was nothing in her childhood that might be considered LGBT propaganda, except probably for the t.A.T.u. music band, still she was attracted only to the girls. She does not believe that some sort of content may change one's sexual orientation, anyway. One of the reasons why she decided to make her coming-out public, because she imagined herserf as a 13-14 years old, feeling attraction to other girls and how it could maybe help that girl to spend less time to realize and embrace the truth about themselves and not be afraid to become themselves, because of Daria's own experience.

3:02 - skipped

7:19 - skipped

8:00 about whether the day for her coming-out was chosen on purpose: it was a coincidence, they actually thought that the interview would be published a few days before, but something didn't work. Dasha felt relieved after this interview because finally she didn't need to worry about if her and Natasha are going to some places are too provocative, if those published photos are too revealing for their relationship.

8:54 was Natasha supportive of that decision: Natasha was supporting Dasha's decision, she herself has spent 10 years preparing herself for coming out, she said, eventually it was easier with Dasha, probably because she finally met her person, so she was not afraid after all that time.

9:36 how they met: Natasha did write to Dasha, congratulated her, Dasha responded, so they kept communicating that way, in the autumn Dasha arrived to Moscow, to see Natasha in the tournament. That was the moment. From then they knew they belong to each other. Dasha and Natasha both felt something towards each other, no matter if there's a law against them or not.

10:50 - How people reacted on the interview, where Daria came out: Yevgeny Kafelnikov thinks that Tartakova edited the interview and she set the girls up. Daria argued telling nothing was additionally edited in the interview, only Viktor and his team was editing the interview, Daria said that there were no questions that she was not prepared for. Daria just laughed when she heard Alexander Tikhonov's opinion. Biysultan Khamzayev said that Dasha's interview is a propaganda and she is going to commercialize it in the future, in order to get a citizenship. "That's the Judas lot" ("иудово племя"). Dasha's reaction: okay, so I can now open a direct message of any immigration agency and write here "hey, I fancy girls, give me a passport... pleeeease".

12:59 is Dasha afraid to return to Russia: Dasha is not afraid to return to Russia, though she is genually upset that Duma members consider someone saying truth about their personality as propaganda. She thinks she did nothing wrong, she just told the truth about herself.

13:49 about Zemfira's call and their friendship: Zemfira called her after Dasha's confession, she supported Dasha's decision. It was not the first time she called. Zemfira often visited Dasha's games, sitting, where relatives are sitting, together with Renata Litvinova. Their (Dasha and Zemfira's) friendship started through Anastasya Pavluchenkova, Zemfira asked her for Dasha's phone number to discuss Australian Open(?), where Medvedev was playing with Nadal and Zemfira was mostly the one talking during that call, asking different questions and replying herself. Zemfira had invited Dasha to her concert. Dasha had missed that opportunity and she is guessing that it will probably never happen in Moscow in the future, maybe in another country. Dasha wants to go to Zemfira's concert, especially with Zemfira older songs. Those are Dasha's favorite ones: "Прогулка", "Главное", "Прости меня, моя любовь", "Мачо" (Dasha has a strong association with Saint Petersburg when hearing this song, probably it is because Dasha was listening to this song when she first had arrived to St.Petersburg for tournament), "Мы разбиваемся", "Жди меня", "Жить в твоей голове".

20:20 peer pressure and wake-up calls: Dasha said that she felt wake-up calls about her orientation a long time ago (no specifics). But only recently she decided that there' only one life, and you need to live it like you want, no hidding, no pretending to be someone else, Natasha helped her with that, with Natasha Dasha finally felt to be ready for this change.

22:18 Dasha parent's reaction: Dasha's parents learned the truth about Dasha 2 years ago and was very supportive about it, her brother knew about it for the longer period of time, because they are brother and sister, after all. He was very supportive too. Dasha realise how lucky she is that the closest people in her life didn't reject her as it usually happens with LGBT members in Russia.

23:39 About LGBT community in Spain: He said very general things, nothing specific, he said that in time he just gotten used to it after many years on the road. Dasha's brother said he is not afraid of homophobia towards their parents, because they still live in Tolyatti.

25:56 Natasha about her own situation: Natasha's situation is more complicated, she didn't plan to tell anything to her mother, and once she did, her mother was not supportive at all, both her parents are more conservative. Natasha aknowledged the truth about her orientation 10-11 years ago. But she was trying to trick herself into believing that its just some stupid thoughts, and she is normal, she just never met a right person. She was struggling with these attempts a lot. She felt like she was trapped in the dark room with no doors, no windows, where the only thing to do is to jump on the walls. Note: Okay, it is maybe not so important but I found it cute, there's a moment where the three of them are drinking coffee in the kitchen and there's some beeping and Dasha suddenly jumps. Turns out, Dasha does not cook, Natasha do sometimes, Dasha's brother loves to cook and Dasha loves to eat :D

28:32 Natasha about her past engagement: According to Natasha, her ex-fiancee was asking her to put all her energy and her finances into his success, like her time is gone now, it is time for him to shine, so he was living on her finances all the time they were in relationship. She wanted to participate in some skating related shows and he didn't want that to happen.

32:01 About Ukraine and February, 24: Dasha has a lot of friends who either was born/lives in Ukraine or/and have relatives here, she was shocked when she learned the first news, she hoped it would end very fast, and she was terrified by how the events went on after these first news. She thinks that day was the worst since many years before. She is appalled by how Russian people in their Stories, etc are publishing some happy times, she considers them finished people.

34:34 If people need to speak up about "special operation": Dasha is not blaiming people who are silent about the events, she understands that those people in Russia have reasons for that silence. She thinks that everyone deserves their right either to tell what they think or not.

36:48 - About the playing under neutral colors: It was humilating, Dasha didn't like how it was organized, some bag-shaped costumes of the same size for all of them, with their country colors taped, so they would be hidden, while other costumes were all colourful and of many variations.

39:08 Collective responsibility: Dasha thinks that national teams ban is the correct decision because those teams are connected with the government and are run by the state, but she can not tell the same about sportsmen individuals, like her. She partially accepts that decision, but not completely. She said her country took away her dream, she does not think she could ever play under Russian flag anymore. And that was her dream. She learned Russian anthem when she went to school with a dream. There's a one type of tounrment called Roland Garros, where when the sportsman wons their country's flag would be hoisted and their country's anthem would be playing. That what she was dreaming about. It will never happen.

41:56 About "Eсть тема" TV-show issue: After Dasha's interview a very humilating episode of the "Есть тема" TV-show was aired. Sofia Tartakova strongly advised Dasha not to watch it and announced very harsh comments on this show after what she was removed from another show, where she was a host airing on the same channel. Dasha thinks that after that issue tennisists would stop visiting this show at all, because in the past it was only because they had good relations with Sofia.

46:14 Dasha is calling to Sofia: Sofia had no doubt in Daria, she completely supports Daria's decision. Sofia also noticed that one of the comments on Daria's interview was from Adidas, while many Russian sportsmen were losing their international contracts, it was their official support of Dasha.

48:13 About Adidas decision: after Dasha's official coming out Adidas decided to bring back some very important commercials with Dasha which were recorded prior the "special operation" and Adidas at first decided not to use it as it was done for other Russian sportsmen, but after the interview they changed their mind for Dasha's piece.

52:08 About politics and sport in Russia: Dasha is very sorry for Kamilla Valieva who was supposed to have a potential for many medals. Dasha thinks that she was lucky to keep playing, and Kamilla has suffered most because of the government recent decisions.

54:03 About religion: Love will save the world: Dasha still believe in these words, according to her and Natasha, love still have potential, even though with each year it is harder to believe in this.

56:30 Her first big money: It was the third round(?) of the US Open. Dasha got upset that she had to pay 30% tax.Before the tax it was 100k-130k. Dasha has saved the money, left after taxes and she is still very careful with money. She only spends money for the people who she loves, she bought a new car for her mom a few years ago. She also once bought Chanel bag and then decided it is not her cup of tea. She was mostly happy she could afford such things. She also bought a flat for herself in Dubai. In 2018 year, which was the most successful for Dasha, she spent 600k for her team, her brother's salary, all required logistics, etc. About 100 people are really getting money for tennis in our country.

1:01:07 - How Andrey became a trainer: Andrey became a trainer after graduating as a lawyer, they were running some healthcare study group aside from his normal working schedule, plus, he was helping Dasha with all her logistic activities and training routine. So at some point he decided that it is time to become a professional trainer for his sister.

1:02:30 - About Tolyatti: this city lacks of sunlight and one of the worst parts of being a tennis player from Russia, because of the bad climate you always training inside while almost all tournaments are taking place outside, Russian sportsmen suffer from this difference a lot, as for Tolyatti or any other city aside from Moscow and St.Petersburg, the logistics are always painful, you always need to spend at least a day in transfer flights, through Moscow.

1:04:45 - How the country supports young sportsmen, what does it cost to raise a sportmen: If you started your training from 7 years, you will need someone to help and guide you before any government support would be there. Dasha told that her parents had to sell their house so she could keep going. According to Dasha, you need to spend at least 50k so your 15 years old child could visit all important tournaments and traninings. It is very expensive to go from Russia anywhere to Europe. In 2018 before Dasha got her first big money, her parents confessed they have almost nothing, her brother was going to sell his own flat for Dasha's carier.

1:14:18 - About Russian Tennis Federation: Dasha said that it was 10 on 90% between how much financial support she got from the federation in comparison to how much her parents has paid. Dasha thinks that Federation must become younger.

1:18:20 - Why Dasha almost stopped playing: When she was playing in 2019(?) with very bad results her ex-trainer said the words that almost destroyed her, he said that he couldn't pull her mentally anymore, so maybe she should try something else. If the Devil made an offer to Dasha, whether to have a few years of absolute success in tennis, to become a legend, or to spend her whole life with Natasha happily with nothing great in tennis, Dasha would have picked the second option, she does not want to end as Maradona.

1:28:14 Natasha is giving advice for LGBT people in Russia: She has adviced to be open about your nature, those people who really love you, they will understand, and you will feel better after that.

[sa7abnews]

The Russian ‘bad boy’ who brought tennis glory to his country

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/13/the-russian-bad-boy-who-brought-tennis-glory-to-his-country/

The Russian ‘bad boy’ who brought tennis glory to his country

With the 2023 Australian Open nearing its conclusion, we look back at a charismatic Russian former winner of the event

The Australian Open runs to its conclusion this weekend, with the first Grand Slam of 2023 set to be bookended on Sunday when the men’s championship match is played between record nine-time winner Novak Djokovic and debut finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas. With the exit of Karen Khachanov in the semifinals at the hands of Tsitsipas, Russia is again left ruing a missed opportunity for glory in Melbourne after Daniil Medvedev was beaten in successive finals in the past two editions of the tournament. Indeed, it is fast approaching two decades since the last Russian man won the title Down Under. On that occasion it was Marat Safin, one of the most charismatic, combustible characters of his or any other generation of tennis talent. The second Russian to win the Australian Open after Yevgeny Kafelnikov in 1999, Safin struck gold in 2005 in Melbourne by coming back to beat local favorite Lleyton Hewitt in what was his last great individual triumph. Despite retiring prematurely in 2009, Safin is far from forgotten in the tennis world – as evidenced by a viral throwback photo from 2002 which circulated during the current edition of the Australian Open, and which featured the eye-catching female following in Safin’s box during his playing days. A playboy once described as a “two-meter embodiment of women’s dreams” by compatriot Dmitry Tursunov, Safin was often admired for his “frankness, outrageousness and charm” – married with no shortage of talent on the tennis court. The Australian Open was a tournament that Safin graced with all of those attributes, reaching the final three times. The re-emergence of the famous photo from 2002, where he allegedly partied before being beaten by underdog Thomas Johansson in the final, has led to many recalling one of the most colorful characters to have played the game.

Marat Safin's box in 2002 Australian Open, where he lost in the final to Thomas Johansson 😄 pic.twitter.com/B6m4bOghok— Luigi Gatto (@gigicat7_) January 13, 2023

Rise to the top   Born in Moscow to Tatar Muslim parents, Safin showed early promise as a tennis prodigy and moved to Valencia in Spain as a 14-year-old to access advanced tennis training programs. As a teenager who – in his own words – grew “very fast … with no muscles,” Safin felt that Spain’s clay courts would be better for his knees. The surface was arguably better for his overall career progression and development. After turning professional in 1997, he took the scalps of Andre Agassi and reigning champion Gustavo Kuerten at the 1998 French Open, before being eliminated in the fourth round by two-time Grand Slam finalist Cedric Pioline. Agassi pulled one back against Safin by beating him in the final of the Paris Masters in November 1999, but Safin had already tasted triumph by pipping Brit Greg Rusedski in an ATP final in Boston in August. Turning 20 on January 27, 2000, the new millennium ushered in Safin’s most successful year in which he set records that remain intact to this day. He won a Masters tournament in Canada, then beat four-time champion and 90s great Pete Sampras in straight sets at Flushing Meadows to become the third youngest winner of the US Open aged just 20 years and 228 days. 

A fresh-faced Safin won a stunning victory at Flushing Meadows in 2000.

©  Jon Buckle / EMPICS via Getty Images

Safin’s maiden Grand Slam title also saw him become the first Russian to win the title in New York – and it was a full 21 years until Daniil Medvedev became the second to do so by beating Novak Djokovic in the 2021 final. The youngest Russian winner of any major tournament, Safin went on to become the youngest player of the Open Era at the time to reach the world number one ranking with his number of titles (seven) the most on the ATP Tour that year.  “For me it was very strange in my experience reaching number one. I wasn’t ready for that because I couldn’t imagine just a few months earlier that I’d have the chance to become number in the world. I was Top 50, dropping, playing very badly,” Safin later confessed to ATPTour.com. “I underestimated myself… I didn’t believe in myself, and I was seeing myself weaker than others, which is unbelievable. Now I can understand tennis better.”

What a year 2000 was for Marat Safin…🔹 US Open champion🔹 ATP Finals semifinalist 🔹 Seven singles titlesOn this day 21-years-ago, the Russian reached the 🔝 of the ATP rankings for the first time in his career! pic.twitter.com/MgaqLwMpYd— US Open Tennis (@usopen) November 20, 2021

The fire and the fury  By now, Safin was building a reputation as a fiery personality who brought everything to the court and who would often take out his frustrations on his racket. Not only boasting generational talent, he had the heart to battle through adversity and was a must-see draw for the crowds, whether on fire at his unbeatable best or out of sorts due to his temperament. In the Paris Masters final of 2000 against Mark Philippoussis, for example, Safin became bloodied from diving for a volley and beat the Aussie with a bandage over his right eyebrow through five sets and a tiebreak.  While 2001 proved relatively quiet, save for two ATP finals victories in Uzbekistan and St. Petersburg, Safin reached his first Australian Open final in 2002 but was upset by Thomas Johansson – turning heads with the aforementioned entourage in his box along the way. Some years later, another controversial character in Daniel Kollerer claimed to have seen Safin partying and drinking before the match played in the run-up to his 22nd birthday.  “He [was] so drunk he can’t even walk on his two feet, it can not be that bad,” reminisced the German to Unbreakable Media while talking about his own descent into a hedonistic lifestyle. “He could never win because he was so drunk, unbelievable. He was celebrating the night before like it was his birthday party. He celebrated like he already won the Australian Open.”

Safin was often portrayed as something of a party boy.

©  Fairfax Media via Getty Images via Getty Images

Safin’s first French Open semifinal ended in disappointment too, and he also fell short of regaining his world number one spot. But he ended the year well by beating the holder of the spot, Hewitt, to clinch the Paris Masters again and by leading Russia to its maiden Davis Cup title in December.  A string of injuries blighted Safin’s 2003, as they did for much of the remainder of his career. Yet he returned to the Australian Open in fine form in early 2004 by topping number one seed Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals and Andre Agassi in the semi-finals, ending the American legend’s 26-match winning streak at the tournament. Those five-set affairs drained Safin, however, and rising star Roger Federer blew him away in straight sets in the final to become world number one for the first time in his career.  That year was another which started with disappointment but ended well for Safin. Losing his head at the French Open and receiving a $500 fine for “racquet abuse” but strangely not for dropping his pants, he blasted “all the people who runs the sport” in a memorable interview.

“They have no clue!” said Safin ranted. “It’s a pity that tennis is really going down the drain… They do everything that is possible just to take away the entertainment. You’re not allowed to do that; you’re not allowed to do this. You’re not allowed to speak whenever you want to speak…” Later, though, he claimed a third Paris Masters crown and became the first man to win the final two Masters of the calendar in the same year by sealing victory in Madrid.   Success Down Under and early retirement  In 2005, Safin got off to the best possible start by reaching his third Australian Open final in four years – and this time finishing the job. In the semifinals, he got his revenge over Federer by winning a five-set thriller, then swatting away Hewitt in the final in four sets after going one down. 

Safin tasted Grand Slam success for the second time in Australia in 2005.

©  Fairfax Media via Getty Images via Getty Images

Sadly, injuries would keep Safin off the court for the rest of the season. Save for winning the Davis Cup with Russia for a second time in 2006, Safin was often perceived as something of a spent force at the top level, except for becoming the first Russian to reach the semifinals at Wimbledon, where Federer beat him, even though Safin harbored an open disdain for grass.  Despite retiring prematurely in late 2009 aged just 29, Safin still boasted a storied career and was immensely popular as a player twice voted the ATP Fan Favorite. The men’s tour described him as a “must-watch player” and many felt he could have achieved more given his natural genius. For this and other facets of his personality, Safin is perhaps most comparable to modern day star Nick Kyrgios as his generation’s most eye-catching on-court presence but with a hint of nonchalance and accusations of underachievement – although unlike the Aussie, Safin does have Grand Slam success to his name. As with Kyrgios, Safin was known for often smashing his racquet – destroying a total 1,055 of them, according to his sponsor who kept count. 

In one of his last stands, at the 2008 Cincinnati Masters, Safin was booed various times by the crowd after throwing his racket and rowing with the match official. He still managed to end his career on good terms at the Paris Masters, though, where he was given the Bercy key after crashing out in the second round to Juan Martin Del Potro in November the following year. In an emotional farewell, Safin said: “Today I will put all my memories, all my wins and losses in a small box. Today a door is closed, hopefully another one will open.” Post-career life  Another door did open, and it happened to be in politics around two years later as Safin was elected to the Russian State Duma as a member of the United Russia Party. It was not to be a long-term career choice, however, and Safin stepped down from his role representing Nizhny Novgorod in May 2017. “I was young and unexperienced. They talked me into it,” he later claimed. “‘Polite’ and ‘likeable’ people. But I don’t regret it. I practiced and used my law degree, I have learned a lot. I got much more experience and finally, more importantly, six long years in the top politics on the federal level in such a huge country like Russia is an amazing achievement, and a very serious lesson.”

Safin pictured at an Australian Open ceremony in 2020.

©  Quinn Rooney / Getty Images

Safin, whose sister Dinara also enjoyed a successful professional career and reached three Grand Slam finals, went on to become an official for the Russian Tennis Federation and a member of Russia’s Olympic Committee. He stayed connected to the sport through coaching a Russia ‘Dream Team’ featuring Medvedev and Khachanov while attempting to recapture his Davis Cup glories after becoming the first Russian tennis player inducted into the sport’s Hall of Fame in 2016. “We had ups and downs, we cried, we broke rackets, we shouted some words, we threw the balls out of the court, we insulted the referees, only sometimes,” Safin said at his induction with laughter. “But this is a part of our life. I’m just so pleased to be part of it. It’s a huge honor to be inducted and be part of history.”

Safin pictured at the ATP Cup in 2020 alongside current Russian tennis stars Daniil Medvedev and Karen Khachanov.

©  Paul Kane / Getty Images

Making headlines for his views on Covid-19 during the pandemic, Safin has been out of the spotlight of late until his recent viral resurgence due to the photo circulating on Twitter from the Australian Open in 2002. That image did not even feature Safin himself, but rather the collection of fetching blonde women in his player’s box known as the “Safinettes” and boasted two Moscow models. Current Australian tennis star Thanasi Kokkinakis even described Safin as the GOAT – greatest of all time – for the eye-catching team he had managed to assemble. Safin is said to have had no fewer than eight women in his player’s box during his run to the final in Melbourne, with a tour insider saying that the Russian “never has difficulty finding female supporters”. “His little black book would be pretty impressive,” the source added to Herald Sun.

Members of Safin’s entourage at the 2002 Australian Open.

©  Fairfax Media via Getty Images

The Melbourne daily newspaper wasn’t the only outlet to pick up on the Safinettes’ presence, as Channel 7 focused on them during Safin’s matches and on-court interviews. “I have to say thank you to all my family sitting over there,” he said to laughter on Center Court at the Rod Laver arena, while gesturing towards the ‘harem’, as the media dubbed them. Safin, who celebrated turning 43 on Friday, described Australia as a place that “stays in my heart.” “I have great memories from Australia. I played well and happy there,” he recalled.

👑 Former World No.1🏆 2000 US Open champion🏆 2005 Australian Open champion🏆🏆 2-time Davis Cup winnerHappy Birthday Marat Safin 🥳#HappyBirthday #MaratSafin #Tennis pic.twitter.com/o1DygcGRYz— Sportskeeda Tennis (@SK__Tennis) January 27, 2023

It perhaps seems unfathomable that a player on the current ATP tour could pull off such a stunt. Yet that was Safin – a unique entertainer full of charisma from a bygone era, but still remembered warmly and with many of his impressive records still intact.