Latest news with #Kotov
Scottish Sun
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Scottish Sun
‘I'll have trouble sleeping' – Tennis star claims rival told him ‘I will kill you' during match
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A TENNIS star has claimed his rival threatened to kill him during a shock mid-match confrontation. French player Corentin Moutet has made the allegations against Russian ace Pavel Kotov. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 2 Corentin Moutet claims his rival threatened to kill him Credit: Getty 2 Pavel Kotov is yet to respond to the allegations Credit: Alamy The pair met in the first round of a Challenger Tour event last night in the city of Aix en Provence, just 20 miles outside of Marseille. It was a lengthy encounter and the score was poised in a deciding set at 7-5, 3-6, 5-5 when light faded and play was suspended. As both trudged off the court ahead of a return today, Kotov supposedly made a death threat to Moutet. Moutet, who made fourth round of the French Open last year, alleged in a now-deleted post that his opponent said: "Next time you come to the net, I'll kill you. One day, someone will kill you." READ MORE IN TENNIS SINN ENOUGH Jannik Sinner sparks romance rumours as he is seen with Oscar winner's ex He added: "There wasn't even a warning. Apparently, those words are allowed on court. "How do you (the ATP) expect me not to get involved if you don't do your job?" After axing the tweet, Moutet responded to a news account posting about his allegations, replying: "I'm going to have trouble sleeping." Kotov, who was ranked world No50 last summer, has not responded to the claims. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The match continued this morning and Moutet sealed victory 7-5. He celebrated wildly and there was no handshake between them. Shocking moment tennis stars have to be separated as one tells rival to 'meet me outside' for fight after heated match Both have a history of controversy - with Moutet involved in a bust-up with Alexander Bublik six weeks ago that saw Kazakh star offer to "meet in the car park" for a fight. As for Kotov, he was labelled a "disgrace" at last year's Australian Open for smashing a ball in anger next a ballgirl, which left her cowering in terror.
The Sun
01-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
‘I'll have trouble sleeping' – Tennis star claims rival told him ‘I will kill you' during match
A TENNIS star has claimed his rival threatened to kill him during a shock mid-match confrontation. French player Corentin Moutet has made the allegations against Russian ace Pavel Kotov. 2 2 The pair met in the first round of a Challenger Tour event last night in the city of Aix en Provence, just 20 miles outside of Marseille. It was a lengthy encounter and the score was poised in a deciding set at 7-5, 3-6, 5-5 when light faded and play was suspended. As both trudged off the court ahead of a return today, Kotov supposedly made a death threat to Moutet. Moutet, who made fourth round of the French Open last year, alleged in a now-deleted post that his opponent said: "Next time you come to the net, I'll kill you. One day, someone will kill you." He added: "There wasn't even a warning. Apparently, those words are allowed on court. "How do you (the ATP) expect me not to get involved if you don't do your job?" After axing the tweet, Moutet responded to a news account posting about his allegations, replying: "I'm going to have trouble sleeping." Kotov, who was ranked world No50 last summer, has not responded to the claims. The match continued this morning and Moutet sealed victory 7-5. He celebrated wildly and there was no handshake between them. Both have a history of controversy - with Moutet involved in a bust-up with Alexander Bublik six weeks ago that saw Kazakh star offer to "meet in the car park" for a fight. As for Kotov, he was labelled a "disgrace" at last year's Australian Open for smashing a ball in anger next a ballgirl, which left her cowering in terror.
The Irish Sun
01-05-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘I'll have trouble sleeping' – Tennis star claims rival told him ‘I will kill you' during match
A TENNIS star has claimed his rival threatened to kill him during a shock mid-match confrontation. French player Corentin Moutet has made the allegations against Russian ace Pavel Kotov. Advertisement 2 Corentin Moutet claims his rival threatened to kill him Credit: Getty 2 Pavel Kotov is yet to respond to the allegations Credit: Alamy The pair met in the first round of a It was a lengthy encounter and the score was poised in a deciding set at 7-5, 3-6, 5-5 when light faded and play was suspended. As both trudged off the court ahead of a return today, Kotov supposedly made a death threat to Moutet. Moutet, who made fourth round of the French Open last year, alleged in a now-deleted post that his opponent said: "Next time you come to the net, I'll kill you. One day, someone will kill you." Advertisement READ MORE IN TENNIS He added: "There wasn't even a warning. Apparently, those words are allowed on court. "How do you (the ATP) expect me not to get involved if you don't do your job?" After axing the tweet, Moutet responded to a news account posting about his allegations, replying: "I'm going to have trouble sleeping." Kotov, who was ranked world No50 last summer, has not responded to the claims. Advertisement Most read in Sport Latest Breaking BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK The match continued this morning and Moutet sealed victory 7-5. He celebrated wildly and there was Shocking moment tennis stars have to be separated as one tells rival to 'meet me outside' for fight after heated match Both have a history of controversy - with Moutet involved in a bust-up with Alexander Bublik six weeks ago that saw Kazakh star offer to Advertisement As for Kotov, he was labelled a "disgrace" at last year's Australian Open for
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mail
Tennis star claims his opponent gave him DEATH THREATS at the net during fiery Challenger clash
A French tennis player has claimed that he was given a death threat at the net by his opponent in a Challenger tournament on Wednesday afternoon. Corentin Moutet was taking part in the Open Aix Provence Credit Agricole in Aix-en-Provence this week, playing his first-round tie against Pavel Kotov. A place in the second-round remains in play for both players, with bad light having suspended their tussle at 7-5, 3-6 to Moutet, and with the third set at 5-5. But the 26-year-old could yet be unwilling to return to face off with his Russian opponent, having alleged that Kotov said that he would 'kill him' if he returned to face off with him at the net. In a post on social media which was later deleted by the player, Moutet claimed that Kotov had told him: 'Next time you come to the net, I'll kill you. 'One day, someone will kill you.' Directing the remainder of the post at his followers, and the ATP, Moutet added: 'There wasn't even a warning. Apparently, those words are allowed on court. 'How do you (the ATP) expect me not to get involved if you don't do your job?' After deleting the social media message, Moutet later returned to the platform to reshare a report of the events, adding: 'I'm going to have trouble sleeping...' World No121 Kotov has not responded to the allegations publicly. But the pair will be forced to continue their clash on Thursday afternoon. Moutet has often courted controversy on the tennis tour, most recently embroiling himself in a showdown with world No75 Alexander Bublik during which the Kazakh star offered to 'meet (Moutet) in the car park'. 'You want to fight? The French kid is speaking and he doesn't want to fight.' Bublik said after both players had shaken hands with the umpire. 'Let's go. We meet in 10 minutes outside.' Last year's Madrid Open also saw Moutet engage in a battle of words with the umpire after she denied him the opportunity to drink a coffee during his four-hour epic against Shang Jungcheng. 'It doesn't matter where we play, we don't provide coffee,' the umpire said in an attempt to placate the Frenchman. 'I cannot bring it to you.' Moutent instead went into furious detail about the other refreshments on offer at the tournament, before adding sarcastically: 'Am I asking for caviar?'
New York Times
01-04-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
A Prison Death Highlights an L.G.B.T.Q. Crackdown in Russia
The travel agency offered tours aimed solely at men, and that was enough to attract the attention of the police enforcing new Russian laws that restrict the rights of gay people. One night in December, officers stormed the apartment of the agency's owner and tied him up, he later told a court. 'Fifteen people came to my place at night,' said the owner, Andrei Kotov. 'They were beating me in the face, kicking me and leaving bruises.' His comments were reported by Russian media and confirmed by his lawyer. Mr. Kotov said the officers pressured him to 'confess' that he was running a travel agency aimed at gay people, which he denied. The officers kept beating him, he said, and told him: 'No trips for gays.' A few weeks later, Mr. Kotov, then 48, was found dead in his prison cell. Prison officials told his mother that he cut himself with a razor, said his lawyer, Leysan Mannapova. The circumstances of his death could not be independently determined, and Russian officials did not respond to a request for comment. Mr. Kotov's death reflects an increasingly harsh crackdown in Russia on the rights of L.G.B.T.Q. people that has accelerated since the start of the war in Ukraine. President Vladimir V. Putin has portrayed the new restrictions — and the war — as part of a broader battle to maintain 'Russian traditional values.' In November 2023, the Russian Supreme Court designated the 'international L.G.B.T.Q. movement' as an 'extremist organization' on par with the likes of Al Qaeda or the Islamic State. Under laws targeting extremist groups, gay rights activists, their lawyers or others involved in efforts to support L.G.B.T.Q. people could face jail sentences of six to 10 years. That has led to a wave of repression against L.G.B.T.Q. people and groups, with the police raiding gay night clubs and investigators targeting ordinary Russians, according to members of the community and groups like Human Rights Watch. At least 12 criminal inquiries on the L.G.B.T.Q. extremism charges were initiated last year, according to the Russian prisoner rights advocacy group OVD-Info. Denis Olyenik, executive director of Coming Out, which helps L.G.B.T.Q. people in Russia, said the authorities' pressure had initially focused on rights groups and activists. 'Now, the crackdown is reaching out to ordinary people, clubs, parties — it affected the community that previously would even distance itself from rights advocacy,' he said. Homosexuality was decriminalized Russia in 1993, inspiring a vibrant gay scene that included celebrities openly talking about their sexuality and the establishment of gay clubs. Tatu, a pop group whose two female members pretended to be a lesbian couple, kissing between songs, was even picked by state-owned television to represent Russia at international contests. But in 2013, Mr. Putin opened a salvo against gay people when he signed a bill outlawing the dissemination of what it described as 'gay propaganda' — which includes material that makes 'nontraditional relations attractive' — to minors. In 2022, Russia introduced fines for promoting 'gay propaganda.' Then came the 2023 court ruling that led to the current crackdown. After Mr. Kotov, the travel agent, was arrested, he was also charged with producing images of child sexual abuse, but his lawyer was not able to review case materials on that charge. During his arraignment hearing in December, an investigator told the court, without giving further details, that images on Mr. Kotov's phone proved that he committed a crime 'aimed against the constitutional order and security of the state.' A few weeks later, Mr. Kotov was dead. Just two days earlier, a psychological evaluation for Mr. Kotov did not show any suicidal tendencies, said Ms. Mannapova, his lawyer. Mr. Kotov's mother has asked the prosecutors to go ahead with his case posthumously so that he could be cleared of the allegations against him, his lawyer said. 'It was utterly unclear to him how arranging trips for men can be considered setting up an extremist group,' she said. The night after the Supreme Court outlawed the L.G.B.T.Q. movement in 2023, Sergei Artyomov, a 36-year-old gay man from Moscow, said he and his friends were targeted in a police raid at a Moscow nightclub. The officers blocked off the exits, made patrons stand against a wall and then wrote down their ID details, he said. No one was arrested, but Mr. Artyomov, who used to work as a TV producer, said the experience rattled him. He said that he had already been thinking about leaving Russia as he wanted to live as an openly gay man, and that the raid strengthened his resolve. 'I knew things would only get worse,' he said. 'There is no gray area anymore. They call you an enemy of the people, and that's it.' He left just before Christmas for Spain, where he said he was granted asylum. The Kremlin-driven anti-gay campaign has been whipped up by vigilante groups as well as local officials and state media. In the remote eastern Siberian city of Yakutia, Pryany Yakutsk, a popular media channel on Telegram, raised alarm over the holidays about 'debauchery and corruption of men happening under the very nose of law enforcement and the officials in Yakutsk.' It published two grainy photos from a nightclub party depicting what appeared to be bare-breasted women, one of them on a naked man. The message on the Telegram channel said the party featured what it called 'transvestite performers' from Thailand. A court later fined the club 250,000 rubles, or about $2,800, for violating public order since its patrons were 'in a state of undress that insults human dignity and promotes nontraditional sexual relations.' Russian Community, a nationalist group that styles itself as social vigilantes, has also posted photos and videos from police raids. Last year, the group posted video of a raid on an L.G.B.T.Q. nightclub in the city of Orenburg that showed several young people lying on the floor, face down, being arrested. A criminal case was later brought against the club's owner, manager and art director, who are still awaiting trial. State media has also been bombarding Russians with messaging about the virtues of heterosexual families with children. Earlier this year, Mr. Putin issued an order for his government to come up with a strategy to promote families with multiple children. Since the Kremlin introduced the first anti-gay bill in 2013, the number of Russians who think gay people should not have the same rights as others has increased from 47 to 62 percent, according to the independent pollster Levada. Young Russians are still far more accepting of L.G.B.T.Q. people than older ones, opinion polls show, but have also heard constant denunciations of them in the media over the past year. 'That torrent of gay and trans hatred that keeps pouring out from all media is going to have consequences,' said Tatyana Vinnichenko, a veteran L.G.B.T.Q. activist living in exile in Lithuania. The trans community has been a particular target of the authorities, with the adoption of a law in 2023 banning trans health care and changing gender identifiers in official documents. The latest round of repressions has spurred a silent exodus of gay and trans people from Russia, activists say. But Tahir, a 25-year-old gay man who asked that his family name be withheld for fear of criminal prosecution, said he had no intention of leaving. 'I definitely know that things will get worse,' he said. 'But I don't want to leave. This country is mine as much as it is for others.'
