Interview with Elena Ilinykh

[Bigbird]

Some are childhood sweethearts since forever then divorce right after the children leave the nest. Relations between men and women are a mystery. I find it's always more charitable to just hope for the best.

 

[Japanfan]

I actually think a woman should have some career goals and prospects. You don’t know what could happen . And especially if they are not married (are they?). The not married then would especially concern me.

She's a wealthy woman so can stay home with her child for as long as she wants to. I would think that she will always have prospects and opportunities.

 

[Ka3sha]

Elena and Sergei in Vogue Italia

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Sergei Polunin e Elena Ilynikh: esclusiva intervista doppia

Sergei Polunin e la compagna Elena Ilynikh, campionessa di pattinaggio artistico, hanno scelto Vogue Italia per la loro prima intervista di coppia. Raccontano del figlio Mir di tre mesi, lavorano a una fondazione per i bambini e si mantengono in forma durante la quarantena

www.vogue.it

 

[canbelto]

Polunin also made some really bizarre anti-gay, anti-fat people rants on IG that he has since (wisely) deleted. I do wonder if he got rid of the "Natasha" tattoo he used to have on his hand ...

I wish them luck for the sake of the baby. Always more complicated when there are little kids involved.

 

[nuge]

She's a wealthy woman so can stay home with her child for as long as she wants to. I would think that she will always have prospects and opportunities.

How is she wealthy ?They didnt skate in many shows and split up after olympics.What has she done since then?

 

[Tinami Amori]

I do wonder if he got rid of the "Natasha" tattoo he used to have on his hand ...

No he did not, it is still on his left hand, the letters above the Ukrainian Trident. In some earlier interviews he and she said something about fully accepting each others' past.

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In an Italian Vogue interview Polunin said that Elena insisted on performing on stage (Rasputin) after she was quite pregnant. He was very impressed on one hand, and very worried on the other.

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And Elena said this: We were very busy with the touring schedule (towards the last months of pregnancy) and I stopped (slowed down) only on my 8th months of pregancy. Everything was good, my stomack was not showing, so (while i was active) nobody noticed my condition.".

У нас был очень плотный график гастролей, я остановилась только на восьмом месяце беременности. Все было хорошо, живота не было видно, так что никто этого не замечал.

Hope their relationship stays, at least partially, in the "flowers and chocolates" stage...

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[Bellanca]

No one except the people involved in a relationship can credibly discuss (while the rest of us speculate) what the attraction was/is between a couple, but it’s always a good idea to never judge a book by its cover.

Elena is still young and possibly fickle, but she obviously saw and felt something for Sergei ... and it’s her decision. For better or worse, she’ll live with it. It will either work out or it won’t.

For the sake of all involved, I’m rooting for this couple (w/ new infant) to be happy and their relationship successful.

Eta: why, if someone supports Elena, wouldn’t they just wish her the best instead of tarring and feathering someone she obviously loves.

They moved very quickly, yes... but I know people who have done the same and are still going strong years later and then on the other hand, there are some who didn’t make it precisely because they moved too quickly.

Bottom line, anyone’s relationship could tank at any time for any given reason, but it really sucks when people appear (in a roundabout way) to be placing bets on the longevity of theirs.

 

[Ananas Astra]

To be fair, Elena has had her share of horrid with Morozov. Either she really is masochistic and into this, or Polunin is, indeed, a lovely person...at least in front of her. As I've said before...the amount of his outrageous comments has really gone down since he met her.

 

[Bigbird]

To be fair, Elena has had her share of horrid with Morozov. Either she really is masochistic and into this, or Polunin is, indeed, a lovely person...at least in front of her. As I've said before...the amount of his outrageous comments has really gone down since he met her.

I am really not over that Morozov incident so if we could just forget that forever I would forever be grateful.

 

[Mad for Skating]

I’ve loved Elena since I saw her in 2014 at the Olympics, and I always felt bad that she didn’t have the long career I had hoped she’d have. However, I think it’s fair to have serious doubts about Polunin. From what I’ve heard, he was a ballet prodigy, and I get the impression that the pressure of being the public eye at a young age brought him into a very dark place, so he turned to drugs as an escape from fame. I have sympathy for that - many young stars like Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, and Lindsey Lohan have gone through similar situations from growing up under the microscope.





However, even if some of his problematic behavior was as a result of the drugs and mental health issues, it doesn’t change the fact that he publicly supported Putin and Trump and made very homophobic comments to the media. At some point in his life, he believed these awful things, and I have a hard time believing that he went from a saint to a fascist strictly because of the drugs. You don’t see Demi Lovato tattooing Kim Jong-un’s face on her chest. Just saying. And like @clairecloutier said, it goes beyond a PR move.





I know that Russia is generally a more conservative/right-wing country where public homophobia is more normalized, but I know many people from Russia who are very open to ideas of true democracy and human rights. Also, Polunin is not some old man who grew up with Stalinist propaganda or something - he’s 30 years old and I’m sure he’s traveled the world for his ballet. In short, I question how many of his opinions were caused by his mental state and how many were his true beliefs.





He seems to be doing much better now, but nobody knows if he will be better or worse in 10 years. He was very self-radicalized a few years back and I don’t know how much of that he still believes - I haven’t heard him giving any public apologies or explanations, which I think are in order.





I hope that maybe sobriety will help him lose those beliefs but it would take a lot for a man with a tattoo of Putin’s face to become disillusioned with the right-wing government. For Elena’s sake, I do hope this works out, but only time will tell. And, although I will always love her as a skater, I must say I would be disappointed in her if he does indeed still believe those things and she sees nothing wrong with it. It’s just a very sticky situation.

 

[Mad for Skating]

To be fair, Elena has had her share of horrid with Morozov. Either she really is masochistic and into this, or Polunin is, indeed, a lovely person...at least in front of her. As I've said before...the amount of his outrageous comments has really gone down since he met her.

I wouldn’t hold what happened with Morozov against Elena at all. She was a minor, he was a three-time divorcee in his thirties. He had no business messing around with a student who was half his age, no matter how beautiful or charming she was. To be blunt, I think she was a victim of predatory grooming.

Her choice in men today is her own decision, but I wouldn’t say Morozov and Polunin are connected. One relationship was by choice, one was not.

 

[Bellanca]

I am really not over that Morozov incident so if we could just forget that forever I would forever be grateful.

Morozov should be neutered. There, I said it.

 

[Bigbird]

Morozov should be neutered. There, I said it.

100%. I will always remember that we had this moment.

 

[BittyBug]

@Mad for Skating if you are interested in Polunin, you should watch the documentary Dancer. You can find it on iTunes and similar outlets.

Dancer Official Trailer 1 (2016) - Sergei Polunin Documentary

Starring: Sergei Polunin Dancer Official Trailer 1 (2016) - Sergei Polunin Documentary Ukrainian-born “bad boy of ballet” Sergei Polunin became the Royal Bal...

www.youtube.com

 

[Mad for Skating]

Morozov should be neutered. There, I said it.

I’m here for this! He’s had enough women to last him a lifetime - from now on, he must take up celibacy!

@Mad for Skating if you are interested in Polunin, you should watch the documentary Dancer. You can find it on iTunes and similar outlets.

Dancer Official Trailer 1 (2016) - Sergei Polunin Documentary

Starring: Sergei Polunin Dancer Official Trailer 1 (2016) - Sergei Polunin Documentary Ukrainian-born “bad boy of ballet” Sergei Polunin became the Royal Bal...

www.youtube.com

Oh cool, I didn’t know this existed! I’ll check it out later.

 

[Tinami Amori]

some background on Nikita's and Elena's partnership and relationship, and a partial link to Morozov.
Nikita, from the very start and to the last day, made Elena to some degree quite insecure, as a skating partner and as boyfriend.

when they were pre-teens they skated at the same rink, lots of girls, just few boys. Nikita was a crush for practically every girl younger than him, including Elena. At one point, Elena was asked if she wants to be his skating partner and she eagrly agreed, it was also "on words" agreed by Nikita, and by coaches and by their parents. Yet Nikita, to keep up his value and importance as "a rooster in a chicken yard", made an official announcement that he wants official try outs with other eligible girls, including Elena (whom he already agreed to pair with). That made Elena feel very rotten and she openly wrote about it in her memoires few years back (before their break up).

When they skated and had the relationship together, he gave Elena an impression that "he is one of a kind and there are many girls out there". Even in their body language it could be seen, like on photos where (often but not always) he is standing tall and proud with this arms crossed, while she was bending over him or clinging/hugging him and looking like an "attachment to an independant selfsufficient entity".

https://phototass4.cdnvideo.ru/width/1020_b9261fa1/tass/m2/uploads/i/20140326/3132606.jpg

https://vesti.kz/userdata/news/news_186771/crop4_b/photo_38784.jpg

The more obvious photos are from the time they visited New York, but i can't find them quickly, yet i made a comment about it, back then here on FSU, expressing concern.

The team/couple had occasionally very hard times, and Elena often felt those "old waves of insecurity" as a skater, and sometimes as a female, since Nikita held an image of "just walk around me, and you will see no strings attached"..

Like some females who feel insecure with their men and seek approval from others, Elena started flirting with Morozov, and he did not object or missed this opportunity...... It did piss off Nikita, and the relationship started to detiriorate.. His solution however was not to change himself, but to chage his partner.. and the rest is history...

I don't know if Nikita slapped Elena like he did Vika, but the situation in Canton already showed that he was capable.

 

[mjb52]

What is the point in talking about this? It is private business and old history. And I searched through old posts all the way back to Sept. 2016 to find the origin of that rumor re: Vika and the person who mentioned it explicitly said it came "from a highly suspect source" but things snowballed from there nonetheless. Obviously none of us know the truth without having inside knowledge but based on what I was able to find through multiple searches through multiple threads and making the best assessment I could of the posts relating to it, it seemed very questionable to me.

 

[Tinami Amori]

What is the point in talking about this? It is private business and old history.

Some posters think that Morozov "groomed her", and that's not true. Old info had to be told to clarify the issues.

 

[happycamper2554]

Some posters think that Morozov "groomed her", and that's not true. Old info had to be told to clarify the issues.

She was 20 years younger then him and his student. There is no way he didnt groom her no matter what happened with nikita. He was in a place of power over her.

 

[Tinami Amori]

She was 20 years younger then him and his student. There is no way he didnt groom her no matter what happened with nikita. He was in a place of power over her.

I did not say he was innocent completely But she was at the time already 20, not a virgin, somewhat impulsive and sensitive, so... not exactly a perfect grooming material, like underaged young girls.. There is a slice of her participation in all this..

Tell me, was Megan Duhamel also groomed by her coach, now husband? She was also in her 20's when Bruno Marcotte, her coach started dating her...

 

[Japanfan]

Tell me, was Megan Duhamel also groomed by her coach, now husband? She was also in her 20's when Bruno Marcotte, her coach started dating her...

Not really fair to compare Marcotte to Morozov. SFAIK Marcotte is a decent human being who has no reason to groom a young woman or teenage girl. Not a sleazebag like Morozov. SFAIK - I could be wrong. But it seems to me that Megan and Bruno have an equal relationship based on love and respect. Again, I could be wrong.

 

[morqet]

I did not say he was innocent completely But she was at the time already 20, not a virgin, somewhat impulsive and sensitive, so... not exactly a perfect grooming material, like underaged young girls.. There is a slice of her participation in all this..

Tell me, was Megan Duhamel also groomed by her coach, now husband? She was also in her 20's when Bruno Marcotte, her coach started dating her...

Elena was 16 when she & Nikita moved to Morozov.

@Michalle I know that S/K are your favourite dance team & you don't want to believe negative things about them. Fine. Whatever. Nothing I say will change your mind about it, and you don't have to accept that I have more first hand knowledge of the situation than you. But please don't dismiss it as "private business" and "old history" because that is exactly the type of attitude that has allowed so many abuses to flourish in this sport for so long.

 

[barbarafan]

Not really fair to compare Marcotte to Morozov. SFAIK Marcotte is a decent human being who has no reason to groom a young woman or teenage girl. Not a sleazebag like Morozov. SFAIK - I could be wrong. But it seems to me that Megan and Bruno have an equal relationship based on love and respect. Again, I could be wrong.

Neither does Morozov. Morozov may be weak about handling temptation but I do not believe he has ever got into a relationship via grooming. He is not bad looking and very worldly which makes him attractive to many females. Compared to a bumbling jock of their own age you can see how young females become infatuated with him. He in turn falls in love with them (that itself might be an illness) as opposed to stalking and manipulating them and offers his heart for evermore. Still icky but not in the same league as a groomer.

 

[Japanfan]

Neither does Morozov. Morozov may be weak about handling temptation but I do not believe he has ever got into a relationship via grooming. He is not bad looking and very worldly which makes him attractive to many females. Compared to a bumbling jock of their own age you can see how young females become infatuated with him. He in turn falls in love with them (that itself might be an illness) as opposed to stalking and manipulating them and offers his heart for evermore. Still icky but not in the same league as a groomer.

Fair enough. But I'm not sure that all the young females he has been involved with have been infatuated with him. IMO he would not care one way or another. But yes, I do acknowledge that he has had power over many young females, and sometimes young women fall into that trap. Doesn't say anything good about him, however.

As to 'not bad looking and very wordly', well that is a matter of opinion.

IMO he's a sleazebag. A creep.

I'll never forget Kaitlyn Weaver in the KnC, visibly trying to distance herself from him.

 

[Wyliefan]

I'll never forget Kaitlyn Weaver in the KnC, visibly trying to distance herself from him.

Yeah, I can't say whether he offers his heart, but he most definitely offers his hand.

 

[mjb52]

Elena was 16 when she & Nikita moved to Morozov.

@Michalle I know that S/K are your favourite dance team & you don't want to believe negative things about them. Fine. Whatever. Nothing I say will change your mind about it, and you don't have to accept that I have more first hand knowledge of the situation than you. But please don't dismiss it as "private business" and "old history" because that is exactly the type of attitude that has allowed so many abuses to flourish in this sport for so long.

I was referring to TA's fantastical description of Elena and Nikita's relationship with the private business/old history part. As for the other thing, l've seen your original post about this when the rumor first started and you simply mentioned hearing from someone at the rink who was a "complete gossip" about a problem they had with a lift. That was it. I was not unwilling to believe something negative, and I went to look precisely because I was concerned and assessed what I found as well as I could, not being an insider in the skating world. That is all I can do. If you want to discuss it further, you can PM me.

 

[Bigbird]

Yeah, I can't say whether he offers his heart, but he most definitely offers his hand.

That man whose name shall not be called is the vilest most disgusting man I've ever witnessed in the sport. He was seen "lusting after little Lena" when she was only 15 yrs old. The fact that they were not rescued from his clutches when this began is an indictment on the Russian Skating Federation and not only regarding her but any other skater that was abused in this way.

 

[hanca]

That man whose name shall not be called is the vilest most disgusting man I've ever witnessed in the sport. He was seen "lusting after little Lena" when she was only 15 yrs old. The fact that they were not rescued from his clutches when this began is an indictment on the Russian Skating Federation and not only regarding her but any other skater that was abused in this way.

He couldn’t have been lusting after little Lena when she was 15 because at that time he was lusting after Ando. He might have had some ten (or twenty, or thirty) women, but usually it is one after the other.

 

[MsZem]

Timeline with respect to Ilinykh:

Her birthday is April 25, 1994.

Ilinykh/Katsalapov trained with Zhulin through the end of the 2010-11 season, in which Worlds were postponed until late April; you can see them in the K&C at Worlds here. So by the time I/K went to Morozov, she would have been 17. Whatever one thinks of Morozov, it would have been difficult for him to be grooming someone working with another coach in another country (Morozov returned to Russia in summer 2011).

I/K's partnership ended around the time of 2014 Worlds (thread 1, thread 2) and neither of them stayed with Morozov, so the relationship did not happen when Ilinykh was 20.

Ilinykh is now an adult, and I hope she's made a good choice for herself and will be happy with her family.

 

[Bigbird]

If we could not speak about this person again I would be greatly appreciative. Please and thank you.