Has a Russian sexual predator been on the loose in Hokkaido?

“Oddly, her anger, tears, helplessness, and fears turned me on. I would let her recover and relax for a day only to suddenly demand anal sex. I know how the system works and how difficult it is to build a rape case. So far, no one has been able to put me away.”

A not-so-bright Russian postdoctoral researcher in Japan may have outed himself as a sexual predator. A series of postings uncovered by our Japan Subculture Research Center reporter, Rila Kunina*, raises concerns that one Russian man in Hokkaido has been engaging in criminal behavior. We hope that by posting the details here, we are encouraging possible victims to come forward.

Prostitutka-Ket is a popular Russian blog run by a former sex worker who writes under pen name Callgirl Kat or Yekaterina Bezimyannaya (from nameless in Russian). Known for its frank discussions of sexuality, the website draws up to 150,000 visitors daily. On October 9th, one of them – a longtime resident of Sapporo who hails from the Russian city of Vladivostok – may have outed himself as a sexual predator.

Yekaterina Bezimyannaya’s October 9th post was the latest in a series dealing with date rape. Ms. Bezimyannaya, while refusing to identify as a feminist, subscribes to a staunchly feminist notion of consent – namely, that women (or men) never owe sex to anyone, and that consent can be withdrawn at any point before or during intercourse. A user who goes by the handle of “Lennikov” took to the comment section to gloat about repeatedly getting away with what would easily be classsifed as date rape, and in Japan as not only rape (強姦罪) but probably also監禁罪* (Unlawful Capture and Confinement). *A   person   who    unlawfully  captures   or    confines  another  shall  be  punished by  imprisonment  with hard labor for not less than  3 months but not more than  7 years.

The following is a translation of a series of comments Lennikov made before Yakaterina Bezimyannaya banned him from the blog. Be advised that the comments are extremely graphic and may prove trigger flashbacks in survivors of sexual violence.

“I’ve talked about this on my blog. I am fine with women who like being picked up in expensive cars and taken to nice hotels to make love. [] What I can’t tolerate are women who, after being treated to a nice dinner and accepting an expensive gift, tell me that they really like me as a friend, that they don’t feel like having sex, and that they will call me later. [] When I kick them out of the car in a deserted area outside of the city limits in the middle of the night, they act surprised. If we are in a foreign country, I threaten to cancel the woman’s return ticket. At that point, many women become docile and agree to make the dinner worth my while. They go back to my expensive car, [] dutifully suck me off [] and spread their legs. It is not until later that they accuse me of rape. The stupidest ones go to the police and try to report me.

I know how the system works and how difficult it is to build a rape case. So far, no one has been able to put me away.”

Lest there be any confusion, this is rape. A woman who finds herself stranded in a deserted, remote area late at night can reasonably fear for her life. Especially in the winter, when temperatures in Sapporo and Vladivostok alike dip well below zero. Especially if she is alone with a much larger man (according to his blog, Anto L. weighs 110 kg and stands 190 cm tall) who just demonstrated utter contempt for her humanity by driving her into the woods and demanding sex. Under these circumstances, any interaction a woman has with her assailant is nothing but a desperate plea for her life.

“Lennikov” is so sure of his impunity that he makes no attempt to conceal his identity, even using a close-up photo of his face as his profile picture. A cursory Internet search reveals that he is none other than Anto L, a chief researcher at a Medical University in Sapporo who has resided in Japan for the last 6 years. At least some of his alleged crimes have been committed on Japanese territory and against Japanese citizens; in one of his comments he characterizes Japanese women as “grateful” and more willing to “work” for the money he spent wooing them.

In perhaps the most chilling of his comments, Lennikov describes systematically raping a woman after inviting her to spend a vacation in Japan. Lennikov writes:

“Back in Russia, when I was 20, I dated a 16-year-old, let’s call her Masha… I reconnected with Masha through social networks. She is destitute and lives with her cancer-stricken, controlling mother.”

Masha accepted Lennikov’s invitation to visit Japan, all expenses paid. On her first night in the country, she agreed to sleep in the same bed with her host, but when he attempted to initiate intercourse, decisively rejected him, saying that she was not attracted to him physically. Several days later, Lennikov again began pressuring the woman to have sex with him, presumably threatening to cancel her return ticket. This time, she acquiesced.

“When everything was over, Masha became hysterical, accusing me of rape and threatening to call the police []. When she reached for the phone, I put her into a chokehold and said that here [in Japan], I could dispose of her in anyway I pleased and with absolute impunity []. I told her that for the rest of her stay, she would have sex with me when and however I wanted. []

The next morning Masha went to the bathroom and texted her friend that she had been kidnapped, raped, and would probably be killed. []

Oddly, her anger, tears, helplessness, and fears turned me on. It was amusing to comfort her, to say that we would simply spend time together and that I was ashamed of my behavior. I would let her recover and relax for a day only to suddenly demand anal sex.”

The woman’s ordeal lasted until, several days later, she received a return ticket from her relatives in Russia. Lennikov agreed to drive Masha to the airport, but not before forcing her to pose for sexually explicit pictures that he then threatened to e-mail to her coworkers.

According to the Lennikov, upon Masha’s return to Russia, he offered her money. Instead, she reported him to local law enforcement. However, no charges were filed. To put this fact in perspective, only 3% of reported rape cases in Russia reach court; all-too-often, survivors of sex crime have to deal with flagrant incompetence and even further abuse at the hands of the law enforcement.

After his comments drew widespread outrage (along with a hefty dose of garden-variety victim-blaming), Anto L hastily scrubbed his blog. He now claims that the stories he recounted on Bezimyannaya’s blog were fabricated. Simply put, Ant L claims to be a troll. And maybe he is. But here is the thing: over two months ago, someone – most likely Anto L himself – recounted identical events in a psychology self-help forum. That post now has been deleted. In the title, the poster asks, “am I a rapist?”

Japan Subculture Research Center is trying to reach Mr. L but has not heard back from him at this time. We are passing on a translation of his writings to the Sapporo Police and have reached out to the Russian police as well. Perhaps, Anto L is just a troll as he claims after redacting previous statements, but if he a sex offender, he should be brought to justice. At the very least, he should be ashamed of himself. You would think if he learned anything in his 6 years in Japan, it would be that at least.

Anto L—恥を知れ！

If you are in Hokkaido and have any information on this individual, please send it to JSRC. We will translate it and pass it on to the authorities in both countries. 

Rila Kunina is a pseudonym for JSRC’s Russia/Japan beat reporter.  She is fearless and breaks fingers like pretzels. So we’ve heard.