Anastasia Vashukevich: Model who claimed evidence of Trump-Russian collusion freed from custody
She has promised not to release any more videos or recordings showing meetings between Russians and Trump campaign officials
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A model from Belarus who has claimed she has recordings of conversations between Russian officials and members of the Trump campaign, has reportedly been freed from custody.
Anastasia Vashukevich and three other individuals, were taken into Russian police custody after arriving in Moscow last week from Thailand, the TASS news agency said.
Ms Vashukevich was then released on Tuesday after promising not to release further video or audio recordings of Russian metals magnate Oleg Deripaska, of whom she uploaded a 2016 video in whch he was seen discussing Russia’s “bad relationship” with the US, with Sergei Prikhodko, a deputy prime minister and long-time aide to Vladimir Putin.
Ms Vashukevich uploaded that video onto Instagram, and the posts were discovered in February.
She was then arrested in Thailand while conducting classes in sexual techniques, and sued by Mr Deripaska for violating his privacy with the recordings.
“There won't be any more audio recordings about Oleg Deripaska,” Ms Vashukevich told journalists on Saturday. “I won't compromise him anymore, so he can relax, really, I've had enough..
Russian authorities have indicated Ms Vashukevich is suspected of forcing women into prostitution, which could carry a jail sentence of up to three years.
Ms Vashukevich is also known as Nasty Rybka. She had previously claimed to be in possession of tapes showing former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort discussing US-Russia relations during the 2016 campaign.
Manafort was convicted of felonies in the US on bank and tax fraud charges last year.
He has also been the subject of scrutiny by the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is looking into potential collusion between Donald Trump's team and Russian forces seeking to influence the 2016 election.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments