Three women have accused exiled Russian rapper Oxxxymiron, whose real name is Miron Fyodorov, of grooming them and sending inappropriate messages when they were underage.
The women, one of whom previously made the allegations on social media, came forward in a four-episode podcast hosted by investigative journalist Anastasia Krasilnikova.
The podcast begins with the story of Vera Markovich, Fyodorov’s former girlfriend and manager. They met in England while Fyodorov was studying at Oxford University and moonlighting at an agency that assisted Russians preparing for entrance exams. According to Markovich, Fyodorov became close to her and then forced sex on her when she turned 16.
This is how she describes the incident: “The mattress was all the way up under the ceiling. And I lay down there. And at some point, he came and lay down next to me. I was completely paralyzed. I remember that it felt very strange because I wasn’t moving. But at the same time, this person felt the desire to have sex with someone who wasn’t moving.”
According to Markovich, Fyodorov disappeared after the incident. The two later started dating when they both moved to Moscow. Markovich gradually became Oxxxymiron’s manager, but they broke up after he repeatedly cheated on her. At one point, Markovich saw a girl in a school uniform coming out of Miron’s apartment in the morning.
Markovich went to Montenegro following their breakup. Oxxxymiron immediately released a track with the lyrics: “I futilely sort through allegories / Meanwhile, my love is f***ing someone in Montenegro.” Markovich was outraged and cut all contact with him.
He later wrote another track about her “F***ed Up Girl” (Devochka pizdets). In an earlier version, he referred to her as “little girl.” The newer version of the song became one of the standout hits from his album “Gorgorod.”
Markovich’s story continued in 2021, when Oxxxymiron released "Who Killed Mark?", in which he revealed that he had been the victim of a bullying scheme orchestrated by the rapper Roma Zhigan. This prompted Vera to share a social media post about their relationship, accusing Fyodorov of “psychological violence” and grooming. The post was later removed by Instagram after an influx of reports from the rapper’s fans.
Fyodorov publicly apologized and met with Vera, after which she made another post where she specified that sex occurred when she was already 16. In the podcast, it’s stressed that Fyodorov always made sure that his victims turned 16, to avoid possible prison sentences. The age of sexual consent in Russia is 16 years.
Two other women said they began chatting online with Fyodorov while they were still in school. One, Viktoria Kuchak, said she met Fyodorov in person when she was 16 years old and had intercourse with him after one of his concerts.
“He made clear that he wasn’t violating the law. But I openly declare now that it was rape, because grooming a 13-year-old child for three years before having sex with her is rape,” Kuchak said in the podcast.
Viktoria Mikhailova, the second accuser, said Fyodorov had sent her sexually explicit content, solicited her nude photos and repeatedly invited her to have sex after his shows when she was 15 years old. Mikhailova never met Fyodorov in person, but she claimed other women have said that the rapper had forced them into group sex and other sexual acts.
Fyodorov declined to be interviewed for the podcast, Krasilnikova said. She published a screenshot of her unanswered message sent to the rapper in December.
At least one of the three women who came forward in the podcast has already filed a legal complaint against Fyodorov.
Krasilnkova’s podcast The Bandit's Daughter (“Doch Razboynika”) has been at the forefront of the fight for women’s rights since its first season, where she investigated abuse in ride-share taxis like Yandex and Citimobil.
Krasilnikova and her team went on to address other issues, including the grooming of female students at the elite Moscow school No. 57 and summer ecological camp. Each season gets extensive coverage by both opposition and mainstream media.
The podcast's latest series on Oxxxymiron sparked a debate on social media about whether what Fyodorov did constituted a crime. Many fans, including Krasilnkova herself, said they were deeply disappointed by the revelations. Some pro-government bloggers called for a criminal investigation into the rapper's actions.
Last year, Russian authorities issued an arrest warrant for Fyodorov for violating the country’s “foreign agent” laws. The Justice Ministry designated him as a “foreign agent” in October 2022.
Andrei Muchnik contributed reporting.
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