Who is Anastasia Luchkina? All about Russian boxer under fire over having Orangutan use her vape pen

Anastasia Luchkina, a professional boxer, recently made headlines for the wrong reasons. The 24-year-old was visiting the Taigan Safari Park in Crimea when she landed herself in controversy.

In a viral video she filmed herself, Luchkina is seen smoking an e-cigarette. She is also seen offering and letting an orangutan, behind the enclosure, use her vape pen. Anastasia Luchkina has faced backlash for her actions, which were initially reported by Zamin.uz. Her video was also shared by Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) on X.

As mentioned, Anastasia Luchkina is a boxer. She hails from Pyatigorsk, Russia, and made her professional debut on June 22, 2025. She faced Indian boxer Vinakshi Dhota at The Ridge in Shimla, India. Luchkina lost the bout, according to BoxRec. Apart from her professional debut, Anastasia has fought five amateur boxing matches and won one of them by split decision.

Read on to learn more about the backlash the Russian professional boxer is facing on social media.

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Internet users criticize Anastasia Luchkina after a video of her giving an orangutan a vape pen went viral

According to Zamin.uz, the Russian boxer’s shocking clip featured the orangutan named Dana, who has been living at the zoo since 2018. The outlet further reported that Dana belongs to an “endangered orangutan species listed in the Red Book,” and is only of its kind in Crimea. Following the incident, the animal has reportedly lost its appetite and “refuses to interact with people.”

Furthermore, Dana lies “motionless throughout the day,” hinting at a serious medical concern, according to Zamin.uz. The veterinarians suspect that the orangutan “swallowed the e-cigarette cartridge,” containing “around 2.5–3 ml of nicotine liquid.” Amidst the concerns around the animal’s health, Anastasia Luchkina’s video also made its way to X.

As mentioned, Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) was among the popular accounts to share the clip while reporting on the news. His post has garnered a lot of attention from Internet users, with many criticizing Anastasia Luchkina’s actions or expressing concerns about Dana’s health.

“That’s really upsetting to hear, hope Dana gets the care she needs soon 🙂,” a user wrote.

“This is horrific,” another user pointed out.

“This is animal ab*se. It shouldn’t be celebrated in any way,” someone added.

“What kind of person thinks it's okay to do this kind of stuff?,” another one shared.

A user criticized the Russian boxer,

“Says a lot about a person if this is how they interact with animals.”

Another user asked for a punishment,

“Animal abuse. Lock her up.”

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According to The Sun, PETA UK vice president Mimi Bekhechi also called out Anastasia Luchkina in a statement,

“Anastasia Luchkina must have received a few too many knocks to the head if she thinks it’s a lark to give an orangutan a vape. [...] A violation of this intelligent, gentle ape’s welfare.”

She also criticized the zoo for the repeated cases of negligence regarding the animals’ safety,

“Taigan Safari Park has a shocking track record of negligence, including allowing staff and tourists to enter the lion’s pen, already resulting in one fatal attack and two other people injured, and taking money to allow visitors to have their photos taken handling wild animals.”

Bekhechi continued,

"Anyone who cares about protecting animals should support programs to preserve their natural habitats, where they can enjoy natural behaviours, and reject these glorified prisons that objectify sensitive animals for social media laughs.”

According to Zamin.uz, Vladimir Akatov, Anastasia Luchkina’s coach, told the press that he wasn’t aware of the boxer’s smoking habit. He confirmed that Luchkina is currently on vacation and assured that the matter will be discussed once she returns.