- 1 Our politicians are in the Epstein files
- 2 The constant plot with Ukrainian girls
- 3 Land of Opportunities
- 1 Our politicians are in the Epstein files
- 2 The constant plot with Ukrainian girls
- 3 Land of Opportunities
August 10, 2019, 6:30 a.m. Guards at a New York City correctional facility find an unconscious man on the edge of a bed awaiting trial. The world's media is buzzing with news of the suicide of a millionaire financier who had been involved in human trafficking and sexual exploitation for years.
At this time in Ukraine, newly elected President Volodymyr Zelensky is celebrating his victory in the snap parliamentary elections. For the first time in history, he has managed to create a monocoalition in the Verkhovna Rada – to bring enough servants of the people into parliament to pass laws without outside political forces.
It is not known whether Jeffrey Epstein had time to rejoice for Zelensky and his party during his lifetime, but the news of the newly elected president's successes was in his email. Interestingly, a few months earlier, Epstein had instructed an unknown interlocutor to closely monitor the situation in Ukraine, in particular around the parliament and corruption, because this could help earn huge sums of money.
Since mentions of our state and its figures are repeatedly found in the expanses of more than three million Epstein files, Channel 24 journalists decided to conduct their own analysis of the relevant documents. Below is more detail about in what contexts and under what names the notorious businessman Jeffrey Epstein is involved in Ukraine.
Our politicians are in Epstein's files
To keep things short, let's end with Volodymyr Zelensky. His name appears about 50 times in various transliterations. Mostly, these are news publications, although sometimes Epstein comments on the political situation in Ukraine, mentioning the Ukrainian president.
Zelensky seeks help. Putin dismisses him, saying he is being run by the Israelis,
– says the message, dated from the period when Volodymyr Zelenskyy won the presidential race.
Epstein discusses Zelensky with an unknown interlocutor / Screenshot from Channel 24
During the same period, Epstein corresponded with former Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajčák. The latter expressed doubts about the newly elected president's ability to govern the country, but suggested that his victory could be useful for resolving the “conflict” in eastern Ukraine (given that the Russians hate Petro Poroshenko).
In response, Epstein noted that this seemed like the perfect opportunity for Lajčák to intervene.
It should be noted that Lajčák had the opportunity to meet with Zelensky himself in 2019. With a difference of three days, this coincided with his meeting with Jeffrey Epstein. In a comment to LIGA.net, the Slovak diplomat denied the connection between these two events and stated that he was interested in the Ukrainian president solely because he was a “newbie.”
However, the investigators of the aforementioned publication have a slightly different opinion. They suggest that Epstein could have collected information about President Zelensky in 2019 in the interests of Vladimir Putin, and Lajčák was allegedly an instrument in this process.
A separate topic is how Russian media “interpret” the Epstein files and references to Volodymyr Zelensky. The Kremlin's federal media wrote that Zelensky is mentioned in the documents in the context of human trafficking, including women and children. This was picked up by some media outlets in other countries, including Romania.
Although Zelensky's name is mentioned several times in Epstein's archives, nothing indicates his involvement in human trafficking,
– concludes the international publication Veridica, which specializes in debunking lies and manipulation.
According to fact-checkers, an anonymous letter does indeed appear in the archive for 2024, indicating that Zelensky may have had ties to Jean-Luc Brunel, a French modeling agent who committed suicide after being accused of raping minors. Obviously, such “evidence” is not enough to claim anything.
Veridica notes that Russian media began spreading reports of Zelensky's involvement in human trafficking just as reputable international investigators began talking about ties between Epstein and the Kremlin's intelligence services.
Petro Poroshenko suffered no less. And no, it was not the Russian media that targeted him – the former president was the victim of a joke that got out of control. In fact, the Telegram channel Smak published a photo of Poroshenko with Epstein, allegedly found in the files: “Epstein's files mention an unnamed Ukrainian confectioner 1488 times, codenamed Crazy Bee,” the message also said.
Telegram channel Smak published a “fake” about Poroshenko in Epstein's files / Screenshot from the network
This was picked up by Chinese media, which chose not to verify the information and for which they received a fair wave of criticism. Some media later suggested that the photo was of the aforementioned Jean-Luc Brunel.
In general, Poroshenko's persona was not particularly interesting to Epstein – Channel 24 was unable to find other important documents that would relate to the discussion of the former president.
Among other Ukrainian politicians whose names appear in the documents:
- Leonid Kuchma. Mentions in 3 files. In one of the transcripts, an unknown lawyer claims that his client was the former Ukrainian president and that he personally met with him in Kyiv.
- Oleksandr Vilkul. The former People's Deputy from the now banned political forces “Party of Regions” and “Opposition Bloc” is mentioned in the letter as a “leader of the Ukrainian opposition” who seeks to obtain an invitation to Donald Trump's inauguration “for a large reward.”
- Viktor Yanukovych. A year after his election as president, in January 2011, his name appears in Epstein's correspondence with investor Boris Nikolic, a former advisor to Bill Gates and one of Epstein's potential heirs. They discuss the Ukrainian Lunch in Davos, organized by oligarch Pinchuk, with the participation of Yanukovych, Bronislaw Komorowski, George Soros and dignitaries. Epstein asks how he could get to the forum without an invitation – the interlocutors agree that key meetings take place outside the official program, so access is possible without a badge.
A constant plot with Ukrainian girls
For those who have read Ukrainian classics, namely Ivan Franko, everything said below will not be particularly new.
In the 1892 novel “For the Hearth,” the author tells the story of Anelia, a captain's wife, who has mastered a new craft: recruiting young girls from the Lviv region for prostitution abroad. In the modern world, this would be called sexual exploitation.
Investigators of the publication “Slidstvo.Info” found correspondence between Ukrainian Anastasia N. and Jeffrey Epstein in the files. According to the files, for 4 years (2015 – 2019), the model sought out young girls from Ukraine for Epstein, and he paid for her beauty salons, flights, and expensive equipment.
Thus, in one of the correspondences, Epstein asks Nastya N. to find him an assistant aged 22-25 who would be intelligent and ready to travel.
Of course, I'll find you girls!
– Nastya answers.
Some are rejected by the businessman, while others manage to get to “Jeffreyland” (as Anastasia herself calls it) – the financier's infamous island, where, as many women have said, they were raped and forced to have sex.
Model from Epstein's files Nastya N. / Photo from the investigation by the publication “Slidstvo.Info”
It should be noted that Nastya N. refused to comment: she did not respond to journalists' requests, and after reading the messages she closed her Instagram. At the same time, the girl's mother stated that her daughter was supposedly “aside from these events” and promised to pass on a request for comment. In general, the woman does not understand how her daughter's name could appear in the “Epstein files.”
There are modeling agencies that are simply mentioned in the files, but there is a lack of evidence of their involvement in prostitution.
For example, the files found correspondence between Masha Manyuk, the director of the Kyiv modeling agency “Linea 12” Models, and Jean-Luc Brunel, Epstein's friend mentioned above. In October 2010, they discussed the Ukrainian model, the details of her potential contract, and the woman's trip to the United States.
Another Kyiv modeling agency mentioned in the correspondence is “L-Models.” Representatives of the agency corresponded about organizing “viewings” of girls for clients.
Although Manyuk confirmed the correspondence with Jean-Luc Brunel, she called it ordinary work communication. The woman assures that no model from her agency was involved in Epstein's illegal schemes.
All the stories that if I communicated with him, I supplied him with girls are not true. Because prostitutes are prostitutes, and models are models. You would never force a girl to work as a prostitute if she doesn’t want to. You would never send a young girl abroad who might have some other interests there. Because I don’t need adventures.
Owner of the “Linea 12” agency / Photo from Manyuk's Facebook page
Journalists of the publication “Babel” spoke with Manyuk's former models. They confirmed her words. In particular, Oleksandra Andrievska said that she worked with Linea 12 several years before the start of the full-scale war.
I have nothing bad to say about Linea 12. Our cooperation was official and never crossed the line of morality. I worked exclusively on shows and filming, I was never offered escort services. Also, I have never met girls in the agency who would have such experience on behalf of the company,
– emphasized Oleksandra.
One of the founders of “L-Models” Irina Timofeeva also denied her agency's connections to Epstein's illegal activities. Model Chris Kulik, who once worked there, assured journalists that “L-Models” did not have a practice of questionable trips: it was always about fashion, not prostitution.
More unnoticed in the public space were the mentions in the files about 27-year-old Ukrainian model Sofia Hirych. Among the published documents are her flight tickets from Kyiv to Paris. The girl refused to comment and closed her Instagram page.
An open question: was Epstein in Ukraine and had dealings with Ukrainian girls there?
There is no direct evidence. But a number of documents indicate that the trip was planned.
Journalists from The Kyiv Independent found a room reservation at the Hyatt Hotel in Kyiv for October 8-11, 2012. The then executive assistant to the financier, Leslie Groff, wrote that the room was booked for them by Thomas Pritzker, the executive chairman of the Hyatt chain, with whom Epstein had connections.
In addition, in April 2011, Epstein received a letter with three options for a New York-Kyiv flight on Aeroflot with a transfer in Moscow.
Some of the emails contain names and photos of Ukrainian women, including models. In 2018, Groff coordinated trips for the women, one of which was to Odesa. One of the emails mentions renting apartments for a week.
In another correspondence, Brock Pierce (who is associated with the Tether crypto project) tells Epstein that a boat is waiting for him on the Caribbean island of Antigua “filled with the best Ukrainian women.”
Land of opportunities
“The Ukrainian upheavals should create many opportunities,” Epstein wrote against the backdrop of the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine.
In general, our state appears in correspondence in the context of buying something, business, and investment.
For example, in Epstein’s 2017 correspondence with Greek top executive George Mantsavinatos, who later headed the asset management company QRES, the documents show that they discussed a potential deal in the Ukrainian banking sector. Mantsavinatos mentioned the then head of Piraeus Bank in Ukraine.
There were reports that Epstein himself was allegedly interested in buying a 5-story villa in Lviv on Borys Romanytsky Street. However, journalists from Toronto Television prove that the financier did not plan to buy real estate, but for years coordinated the finances of Ukrainian Anastasia Siroochenko.
Between 2011 and 2016, Siroochenko's personal accounts received more than $3 million from billionaire Leon Black and his associates. These transfers were presented as “gifts.” At the same time, her company, Sublime Art LLC, collaborated with Black on multimillion-dollar art deals, and the details of the transactions were discussed with Epstein's participation.
Lviv villa mentioned in Epstein's files / Image from Google Maps
The purchase of the Lviv property took place through a transfer of funds from Siroochenko's personal account to her company's account in the form of a “loan.” It is in this context that Epstein's interest appears – as a coordinator of financial reporting, and not as a potential owner of the building.
Epstein, even six years after his death, remains in the spotlight due to new publications of documents. It is possible that this is not the last package of files – some of the materials may appear later in various legal proceedings. Mentions in the archives have already put politicians and public figures of different countries under the media's sights. From the context of mentions of Ukraine, the world can draw a simple formula – “a country of beautiful girls and opportunities”. However, whether such an image works in the interests of our state is a question to which there is still no clear answer.