Alla Gutnikova, one of the four former editors of Doxa, an independent Russian online student magazine, has posted two Instagram videos detailing her experience of sexual coercion at age 19. Gutnikova, prosecuted in Russia on charges of involving teenagers in political protests, accuses Andrey Grechko, the founder of LUDI, a test-prep company, of “sexual coercion without penetration.”
In the videos, Gutnikova, 24, details what happened when she was 19. Grechko invited her to come to his home; she agreed, warning him that she doesn’t want to have sex. During her visit, Grechko forced her into sexual contact. Following the incident, Gutnikova felt “paralyzed” with “horror.” Grichko begged her forgiveness on his knees — but later repeated his attempt to coerce her. She told no one, and did not contact the police, continuing to stay in touch with Grechko. In the videos, she acknowledged that this was “strange and ridiculous.”
Alla Gutnikova recorded these two videos a year ago, while being prosecuted for fomenting protest among teenagers. She did not publish them immediately, fearing a second criminal case for defamation. “Now I’m safe and on the federal Wanted list,” she said, explaining why she was finally publishing the videos.
Although Gutnikova tagged Grechko in her posts, he made no comment on them yet.
Alla Gutnikova is one of the four former editors of Doxa, an independent undergraduate magazine.
In April 2021, the four members of Doxa’s editorial team were accused of involving underage people in illegal activities. The Investigative Committee launched a criminal case against them following their publication of a video, in which the editors of Doxa condemned the persecution of students who supported Navalny and protested to express their views.
In April 2022, the four defendants were each sentenced to two years of “corrective labor.” In August, Gutnikova revealed that she had moved to Germany. The other defendants, too, left Russia. Alla Gutnikova is on Russia’s federal Wanted list.
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