Russia Debates Whether Boos Were for Putin

By GLENN KATES

MOSCOW — Jeff Monson, an American mixed martial arts fighter, may have lost his match in Moscow on Sunday before a crowd of 20,000 that included Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin. But Mr. Monson, known as The Snowman, has become an unlikely political foil for opponents of Mr. Putin, as Russians debate whether the boos and jeers after the bout were directed at the fighter or the prime minister.

Video appeared to capture Mr. Putin being greeted by boos on national television as he took to the ring on Sunday to congratulate the Russian winner, Fedor Emelianenko. Mr. Putin, who has rarely faced public dissent in his 11 years in power, appeared momentarily taken aback, but quickly recovered and finished his statement. The video has drawn hundreds of thousands of viewers and rippled across Russia’s blogs and social media.

Government supporters spent Monday searching for explanations for the situation. Early in the day, a spokesman for Nashi, the Kremlin youth group, said people were upset about security precautions, which prevented them from using restroom facilities after the fight (a claim echoed in the official news media on Monday.)

Later in the day, Mr. Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, offered a different explanation. “Vladimir Putin didn’t take this to be directed at him, because from where he stood, it was absolutely clear that all of those disapproving cries, boos were directed at the fighter who had lost,” Mr. Peskov said, according to Interfax New Agency. “The moment Putin was entering the ring and the moment Monson was leaving for the dressing room coincided.

But if the boos from the stands touched a nerve for Mr. Putin, the accusations by his press secretary of poor sportsmanship on the part of Russian fans seemed to have opened an even bigger wound. Hundreds of fans have taken to Mr. Monson’s Facebook page with a message — the booing they say, was not for him, but for Mr. Putin.

“Jeff, please don’t take offense at Russian spectators,” Valentin Lapukin of Astrakhan, Russia, wrote. “In Russia you know and respect. We never abuse people which lose in fair struggle.”

“Sounds like you’re gonna make it to history books – it’s the beginning of the end of Putin :),” wrote Konstantin Pinaev, who according to his Facebook page studied at Moscow Lomonosov State University and lives in London. “Thanks for making it happen and sorry you were dragged into this. Get well!”

Yuri Goralskiy, a more pithy commenter whose location was not clear from his Facebook page, told him, “Hi chap! You’re hunk! He’s skunk!”

Some Russians agreed with at least one of the official explanations for the booing. Ivan Yun, who said he was at the fight, said that the booing was not directed at Mr. Putin. He said Mr. Monson, who reportedly broke his leg during the match, was booed “for not conducting a spectacular fight.”

Mr. Monson, in a telephone interview late on Tuesday, said that Mr. Putin called him the day before to congratulate him on a good effort in the fight.

He said Mr. Putin was “pretty nice” during their two minute conversation, which was conducted in English. “Hope you come back to Russia, hope you heal up. We’re excited that you came here, that kind of thing,” Mr. Monson said, describing the Russian leader’s comments.

“Yeah, I heard some booing,” he said, remembering the end of the fight, when Mr. Putin began to speak. “But when they announced my name and I walked out of the ring, I felt like they were cheering. Like not going crazy, but some applause.”

Mr. Monson said he was not sure himself who the catcalls were for but that he did not see it as important. “He’s a political figure so they always get booed,” he said. “To me it’s not a big deal either way.”

A 40-year-old fighter from Olympia, Wash., who describes himself as an anarchist, Mr. Monson also praised the behavior of Russian fans during the match. “The fans and the people were really supportive,” he said. “The people really took me in and made me feel at home.”

Danielle Monson, identified as the fighter’s wife by Russian news media, echoed that sentiment, taking to Facebook to thank her husband’s new supporters.

“I’m reading all these amazing posts from Jeff’s fans in Russia,” she wrote. “It’s so touching and emotional. Being there was very special for both me and Jeff. Thank you for showing so much support and respect for Jeff.”