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Winnipeg Free Press
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Winnipeg Free Press
Guns, grooms and gastropods
Maria Reva's debut novel gets rolling with a charming story of malacology (the study of snails) and ends with a country thrown into chaos by war. Along the way, the Ukraine-born, Vancouver-based Reva explores romance tourism, climate change, artifice and propaganda, her own self-doubt and much more in her wildly inventive, brilliant first full-length novel. Reva's debut book, 2020's Good Citizens Need Not Fear, was a collection of linked stories of residents in a dilapidated, near-forgotten apartment building in 1970s Ukraine. The book was shortlisted for the Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize and won the 2022 Kobzar Literary Award for the best book whose themes highlight the Ukrainian-Canadian experience. (In the interest of disclosure, this reviewer was one of the jurors of the prize.) Efrem Lukatsky / Associated Press photo In the darkly funny Endling, whose title comes from the term for the last of a species before extinction, Reva once again takes readers to Ukraine, albeit in more modern times — on the eve of Russia's 2022 invasion. We meet Yeva, a struggling conservationist living in a camper van converted into a mobile lab, tracking down rare snails in Ukraine in the hopes of getting them to mate — to prevent them from becoming endlings. Yeva's desperate to find a mate for her rare snail Lefty, afraid he will become the next endling in the face of the growing impact of climate change. To help keep her malacological endeavours afloat, Yeva works in the bridal tourism industry, which sees mainly wealthy men travel from all corners of the globe in the hopes of finding a Ukrainian bride. It's here she meets Nastia and Sol, sisters also working the bachelors, but with more nefarious motives. Sol and Nastia's mother was a feminist activist who deplored the industry, once famously flashing Vladimir Putin during a visit by the Russian leader to Hanover, and has since gone missing. Her daughters plan on bringing down the marriage-tourism industry by holding a group of bachelors hostage until their demands are met — and, they hope, their mother will see their actions and reappear from wherever it is she went. The sisters convince Yeva to employ her mobile lab in the heist; a dozen men are lured into (and locked in) the camper van with the promise of a special evening with budding brides — which, of course, never comes to pass. It's all setting up to be a quirky, darkly funny story of looking for love, be it for snails, men or otherwise. Then Russia invades Ukraine at the end of Part I, some 100 pages into Endling — and Reva calls a time out on the narrative before everything goes completely sideways. The book's brief middle section, Part II, sees Reva (or an autofictionalized version of Reva) enter the novel, ruminating in the first person on the struggles of her writing process, and about writing about Ukraine when a real-life war has broken out. We see increasingly frustrated emails between the author and publishers, a meandering grant application for the book and more. Anya Chibis photo Maria Reva 'Now that Russia is conducting a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the central conflict woven into the delicate fabric of my novel, namely the influx of Western suitors into Ukraine, has been subjugated — or ripped apart, to keep with the metaphor — by a far more violent and destructive narrative,' Reva writes in the grant application about her 'novel (postnovel? yet-to-be-defined entity?).' We're then given a brisk, neat-and-tidy ending to the novel, a list of (real) acknowledgments and a (real) note about the author and the type face — all of which you'd typically find at the close of a book. Which is all fine and dandy — except there's 200 or so pages, giving the reader a hint there's plenty more to come. While such an authorial interjection in the middle of a book could be off-putting or clumsy in the hands of some authors, Reva navigates the move brilliantly before plunging the reader back into the action. It's a brief, insightful respite from what's to come — a third act brimming with intensity and anxiety. Every Second Friday The latest on food and drink in Winnipeg and beyond from arts writers Ben Sigurdson and Eva Wasney. In Part III we rejoin the group as Russia's invasion of Ukraine begins in earnest, with the trio women trying to figure out what to do with the kidnapped bachelors now that war has broken out. After unsuccessfully trying to offload the kidnapped bachelors, the mobile lab with Yeva, Nastia, Sol and the gang heads south to the real-life (and now war-ravaged) port city of Kherson, where Yeva may have finally found a mate for Lefty and where the grandfather of Masha, the romance tourism owner, lives. Masha offers Sol and Nastia a deal — get her grandfather out, and she'll provide information on the whereabouts of their mother. Endling Venturing into one of the most dangerous sections of war-torn Ukraine brings the women and their captives in close contact with gunfire and all manner of danger, including the shooting of a scene for a Russian propaganda piece about the liberation of Ukraine. As Yeva locates the acacia tree where Lefty's potential mate might be found, the country and its people are being pushed toward becoming endlings themselves. Reva masterfully ramps up the tension and danger page by page in the latter half of Endling. Despite her anxiety in her interlude/interjection about the book in the novel's middle section, she masterfully brings together seemingly disparate threads by the book's end, never sacrificing humour along the way. Ben Sigurdson is the Free Press literary editor. Ben SigurdsonLiterary editor, drinks writer Ben Sigurdson is the Free Press's literary editor and drinks writer. He graduated with a master of arts degree in English from the University of Manitoba in 2005, the same year he began writing Uncorked, the weekly Free Press drinks column. He joined the Free Press full time in 2013 as a copy editor before being appointed literary editor in 2014. Read more about Ben. In addition to providing opinions and analysis on wine and drinks, Ben oversees a team of freelance book reviewers and produces content for the arts and life section, all of which is reviewed by the Free Press's editing team before being posted online or published in print. It's part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Global News
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Global News
3rd man charged in connection to fires at properties linked to U.K. PM
A third suspect has been charged with arson over a series of fires targeting property linked to U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, police said Wednesday. Petro Pochynok, 34, has been charged with conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life. The Ukrainian national appeared at London's Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday morning, speaking only to confirm his name and London address. Two other men also have been charged with setting fire to Starmer's personal home, along with a property where he once lived and a car he had sold. They are Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, 21, and Ukraine-born Romanian national Stanislav Carpiuc, 26. Lavrynovych and Carpiuc appeared in court earlier. All three suspects have been ordered detained until a joint hearing at London's Central Criminal Court on June 6. 1:55 'The world has changed': Carney speaks to Starmer about U.S. relationship No injuries were reported from the fires in north London, which occurred on three nights between May 8 and May 12. Story continues below advertisement Starmer and his family had moved out of his home after he was elected in July, and they live at the prime minister's official Downing Street residence. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy A Toyota RAV4 that Starmer once owned was set ablaze on May 8, just down the street from the house where he lived before he became prime minister. The door of an apartment building where he once lived was set on fire on May 11, and on May 12 the doorway of his home was charred after being set ablaze. Counterterrorism detectives led the investigation because it involves the prime minister. The charges were authorized by the Crown Prosecution Service's Counter Terrorism Division, which is responsible for prosecuting offenses relating to state threats, among other crimes. Starmer called the fires 'an attack on all of us, on democracy and the values that we stand for.'
New York Post
22-04-2025
- New York Post
Hamptons limo driver used Mercedes in drug ‘delivery service' for posh clients at yacht club, ‘Rodeo Drive of Long Island': prosecutors
A New York limo driver admitted Monday he ran a Brooklyn-to-Montauk drug 'delivery service' — selling high-priced cocaine out of a sleek Mercedes to posh clients at spots including a yacht club. Michael Khodorkovskiy, 44, copped to one drug dealing charge in a Riverhead, New York courtroom as part of a plea deal with prosecutors that is expected to net him 10 years behind bars at his May 29 sentencing. Khodorkovskiy was busted in August, alongside Alexandr Dyatchin, on 47 drug-related charges for a year-long scheme to sell high-end coke at inflated prices around the Hamptons, at spots like the Montauk Yacht Club, Rosie's eatery, and most frequently on Newtown Lane in East Hampton — regarded as the Rodeo Drive of the vacation-home set. 4 Michael Khodorkovskiy pleaded guilty to a drug charge Monday for running a high-end cocaine delivery service out of his Mercedes Benz. Newsday Both men — who worked as private rideshare and Uber drivers — conducted the illicit transactions out of their Mercedes cars which were retro-fitted with 'traps.' or hidden compartments to hide the drugs, prosecutors claimed. They not only dealt coke — which they sold for triple the street price — but also party drug MDMA and pills, prosecutors alleged. They were caught after selling large quantities of cocaine to undercover cops — including four sales where the officers bought two ounces or more from the pair, prosecutors said. The men have been held on $2 million since their arrests. Khodorkovskiy — a Ukraine-born US citizen — was cuffed on Aug. 2, alongside Dyatchin, 39, who allegedly came up with the ritzy cocaine delivery service scheme. During the bust, law enforcement discovered over three pounds of the white powdery narcotic and pills stashed in drug traps inside his Benz S500, officials said at the time. They also found nearly $39,000 in cash, and 39 gold coins worth $100,000, prosecutors said. 4 Khodorkovskiy made deals with well-healed clients inside his Mercedes Benz S500 on various spots in the Hamptons. Suffolk County District Attorney's Office Dyatchin's East Hampton rental home was filled with 589 grams of coke divided into packages, 269 grams of MDMA, and close to $20,000 in cash. His Mercedes had another 50 envelopes of cocaine stashed in traps, officials said. 4 Khodorkovskiy hid drugs inside his luxury car in 'traps.' Suffolk County District Attorney's Office 4 Khodorkovskiy is slated to receive 10 years behind bars at his sentencing next month. Suffolk County District Attorney's Office While a baggie of less than a gram of coke would go for $50 on the street, the duo was selling the same amount for $150 a pop, prosecutors claimed. Outside court, Khodorkovskiy's lawyer, Matthew Myers, said his client worked hard his whole life and fell on hard times during the pandemic running his limo business. He racked up $100,000 in debt and lost all the other vehicles that he'd purchased for the company, finally turning to drug dealing, Myers said. 'Khodorkovskiy was asked many times to provide wealthy Manhattan partiers narcotics,' Myers said, noting his client rejected the request until turning to dealing out of desperation. Dyatchin is due in court Wednesday. He's not a citizen and has outstayed his visa and could face deportation if convicted.
Euronews
18-04-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Jean-Claude Van Damme asks Putin for ambassadorial job and sends 'big kiss' to Russia
ADVERTISEMENT Actor and former bodybuilder Jean-Claude Van Damme has addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin in a strange new video message published on Telegram by pro-Russian Ukraine-born journalist Diana Panchenko. Panchenko has been accused of treason by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) in 2023. Van Damme said in the video that he was ready to come to Russia and become 'an ambassador of peace'. "We want to come to Russia. We will try to do this the way you want to do this, to be an ambassador of peace. I would love to be... I would be honourred to have this title…' The action star then recounted a protracted anecdote about how he and Putin met in Sochi at a martial arts event and how their shoes touched. He indeed visited Russia in 2010 and in 2007, when he attended a reception in St. Petersburg (see picture below). The Muscles from Brussels concluded the video by saying: "Let's do this. Ambassador of peace. We won't talk politics – only about peace, sport and happiness. We love you.' At the end of the appeal, Van Damme blew a kiss to Russia and sent 'a big kiss to Putin and his family.' Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Jean Claude Van Damme and Vladimir Putin attend a reception in St. Petersburg, Russia - 14 April 2007 AP Photo Tasteless declarations of love aside, Van Damme hit headlines earlier this month when he was accused of allegedly meeting with several people under investigation for sex trafficking crimes – people who offered to let him have sex with five Romanian models as a "gift." The Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) reportedly filed a criminal complaint against the Belgian actor, with this alleged incident having taken place in Cannes. No timeframe was noted. Adrian Cuculis, the lawyer of one of the alleged victims, stated: 'At an event organised by Jean-Claude Van Damme in Cannes, several Romanians, who are currently under investigation for forming a criminal group and pimping, allegedly offered Jean-Claude Van Damme five Romanian women - photo models in Romania - for sex.' He added: 'The person who received these services was aware of their condition.' Van Damme has denied the accusations of knowingly engaging in sexual relations with women he knew to be trafficked, with the actor's agent calling the claims 'unfounded'. 'We have become aware of articles alleging an alleged affair in Cannes involving Mr Jean-Claude Van Damme,' Patrick Goavec said in a statement. 'The reported facts are both grotesque and non-existent. Mr Van Damme does not wish to comment or fuel this rumour, which is as absurd as it is unfounded.'
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Jean-Claude Van Damme asks Putin for ambassadorial job and sends 'big kiss' to Russia
Actor and former bodybuilder Jean-Claude Van Damme has addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin in a strange new video message published on Telegram by pro-Russian Ukraine-born journalist Diana Panchenko. Panchenko has been accused of treason by the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) in 2023. Van Damme said in the video that he was ready to come to Russia and become 'an ambassador of peace'. "We want to come to Russia. We will try to do this the way you want to do this, to be an ambassador of peace. I would love to be... I would be honourred to have this title…' The action star then recounted a protracted anecdote about how he and Putin met in Sochi at a martial arts event and how their shoes touched. He indeed visited Russia in 2010 and in 2007, when he attended a reception in St. Petersburg (see picture below). The Muscles from Brussels concluded the video by saying: "Let's do this. Ambassador of peace. We won't talk politics – only about peace, sport and happiness. We love you.' At the end of the appeal, Van Damme blew a kiss to Russia and sent 'a big kiss to Putin and his family.' Tasteless declarations of love aside, Van Damme hit headlines earlier this month when he was accused of allegedly meeting with several people under investigation for sex trafficking crimes – people who offered to let him have sex with five Romanian models as a "gift." The Romanian Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) reportedly filed a criminal complaint against the Belgian actor, with this alleged incident having taken place in Cannes. No timeframe was noted. Adrian Cuculis, the lawyer of one of the alleged victims, stated: 'At an event organised by Jean-Claude Van Damme in Cannes, several Romanians, who are currently under investigation for forming a criminal group and pimping, allegedly offered Jean-Claude Van Damme five Romanian women - photo models in Romania - for sex.' He added: 'The person who received these services was aware of their condition.' Van Damme has denied the accusations of knowingly engaging in sexual relations with women he knew to be trafficked, with the actor's agent calling the claims 'unfounded'. 'We have become aware of articles alleging an alleged affair in Cannes involving Mr Jean-Claude Van Damme,' Patrick Goavec said in a statement. 'The reported facts are both grotesque and non-existent. Mr Van Damme does not wish to comment or fuel this rumour, which is as absurd as it is unfounded.'
