US porn star Sasha Grey dragged into Ukraine propaganda war
Propaganda piece about nurse in Ukraine goes 'too far'
PUBLISHED : Monday, 23 February, 2015, 10:56pm
UPDATED : Monday, 23 February, 2015, 10:56pm
Tribune News Service
Sasha Grey is unwittingly the face of Russian propaganda.
The story making the rounds on the Russian version of Facebook ( Vkontakte) would be truly horrific, if not for the "truly" bit.
A heroic young ethnic Russian nurse, working the front lines of the war between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russia separatists, was captured by the Ukrainians. After dragging her back to their camp and abusing her - in such a vile manner that the description is no more specific, though it is noted that "they recorded their fun on video" - one of the Ukrainian soldiers grabbed an axe and decapitated her.
The name of the heroic nurse is given on the "Aid for Donbas" page as Sasha Serova, and while they don't give her age, they do run a photo showing a beautiful dark-haired woman, with surprising, come-hither eyes.
Or not so surprising. The actual surprise was to Sasha Grey ("Serova" is similar to the Russian word for "grey"), the woman in the photo. Sasha Grey, though, is the adult-film star name for Marina Ann Hantzis. Born in Sacramento, she lives in California, has made at least 171 hardcore porn films. She also has had roles in less explicit productions, including HBO's Entourage. She turns 27 next month.
When Grey saw the postings, and realised that she was the murdered nurse, she noted on her Twitter account: "I love my Russian fans, but this propaganda takes it too far."
While she once starred in a porno film called Nurses, which runs 197 minutes, she is still very much alive and intact.
The source of the tale about Sasha Serova on the Aid For Donbas page is not clear. But Russian propaganda, thought to be government sponsored, has been a source of contention in Ukraine for years. Cop dramas typically portray villains as Ukrainian. In evening entertainment, Ukrainians are murderers, paedophiles, rapists, thieves. The reason for the "Aid for Donbas" page: "Help is required for the residents of Donetsk and Luhansk who suffered as a result of the junta's air strikes and also for the rebels who fight for Novorussia."
As for poor Sasha, the page notes: "This seemingly fragile, yet strong young woman, has saved wounded fighters at the front. She was said to have nursed even the most hopeless cases back to health. But she herself did not return from the front."
