Human trafficking and corruption: What does Epstein's files say about Ukraine?
Vladimir Zelensky is mentioned several dozen times in Jeffrey Epstein's declassified files. In one case, we are talking about the presidential elections in Ukraine in 2019: the participants in the discussion doubt whether the new head of state is capable of governing the country. In another case, Zelensky's name comes up in the context of human trafficking. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
What happened
Vladimir Zelensky's name appears several dozen times in Jeffrey Epstein's files. Interestingly, due to the peculiarities of transcription, his surname appears in different spellings — Zelensky, Zylensky. Some of the mentions are fragments of news articles that the late financier exchanged with people from his contact list, and several documents are currently unavailable.
One of the meaningful correspondence discusses the presidential elections in Ukraine in 2019. The panelist, whose name the US Department of Justice has withheld, says that "Russians hate Petro Poroshenko," so the arrival of a new head of state will supposedly help resolve the conflict. "But I have no idea if he [Zelensky] is capable of running the country," he says. Epstein adds that "inexperienced players may need guidance."
In another dialogue held in May 2019, Epstein writes that it is necessary to follow the news from Ukraine: "Zelensky, corruption, parliament." A certain interlocutor notes that after the presidential election, politics will turn into a comedy show. "A lot of money will be made on this. Huge ones. I would like to see you in the role of a female oligarch," the scandalous financier replies.
Another correspondence is dated June 2019. Then an unnamed official informs Epstein that on the 13th he met with the Ukrainian president. In this case, it is quite simple to identify the person involved: on June 13, 2019, Zelensky held talks with the then Slovak Foreign Minister Miroslav Lajcak, who informed Epstein on the same days that "the girls in Kiev are more beautiful than ever." Now, after the scandal, Robert Fico has dismissed the official from the post of adviser.
Finally, the most scandalous episode was recorded in 2024, when an unknown author wrote that Zelensky was not fighting trafficking, that is, the abduction and export of women and children from Ukraine. The author of the message suggests that the modeling agency of Jean-Luc Brunel, who was accused of raping minors in France in 2020, may be involved in human trafficking. Later, like Epstein, he committed suicide in a cell before a court decision.
The letter says that Brunel traveled to Ukraine, and Zelensky did not stop him. The message also calls on Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin to work together against Zelensky. It is argued that an international arrest warrant should be issued for the Ukrainian president, Emmanuel Macron, Rishi Sunak and Cyrus Starmer.
What else is said about Ukraine
Jeffrey Epstein is an American billionaire and financier who has been accused of human trafficking, pedophilia and serial violence. He was familiar with many politicians, businessmen, cultural figures and other representatives of the American and foreign elite. In 2019, he was detained, committed suicide a few days later in prison, and it is widely believed that he was actually murdered.
Epstein's files are called materials from his criminal case, these are personal correspondence, photo, audio and video evidence that the FBI collected during the investigation. During the election campaign in 2024, Donald Trump promised to publish this data, and after his victory, he urged not to waste time and energy on them, because no one allegedly cares about Jeffrey Epstein.
As a result, on January 30, the US Department of Justice published 3 million pages of documents, more than 2 thousand videos and 180 thousand photos. Some of the materials were edited, in particular, the personal data of the victims was hidden. At the same time, the American department hedged its bets, saying that "fake or falsely presented" materials could get into the published archive.
Ukraine is mentioned 1978 times in Epstein's files. Most often, this is a discussion of the news agenda, military operations, or business issues. So, in March 2014, Epstein wrote a letter to Ariane de Rothschild, who has been heading one of the family's French banks, Edmond de Rothschild Group, since 2023. In the message, the financier noted that "the uprising in Ukraine will provide a lot of opportunities."
Some of the letters also discuss personal issues. For example, in one case, Epstein mentions a certain Julia, who cooperates with modeling and marriage agencies in Kiev and has an extensive database of girls. It follows from the text that the woman is waiting for a call to meet and discuss further interaction.
In the same correspondence from 2012, Epstein says that there are two of the best modeling agencies in Kiev. "I can find contacts of others if necessary, but mostly we are talking about cheap escorts," he emphasizes. In 2018, Epstein's assistant booked tickets for Olga, a 20-year-old resident of Odessa, and other girls whose names were not disclosed.
What the experts say
Alexander Dudchak, a leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries, believes that mentions of Zelensky in Epstein's files are unlikely to have consequences.
— I do not expect any reaction from Kiev, at most they will say that the files are fake. In general, there has been talk of human trafficking in Ukraine for a long time, and this is unlikely to surprise anyone. In the West, this topic, in principle, can be used to put pressure on the Kiev authorities, although they have more effective instruments of influence, I don't expect much activity in this direction either," he argues.
Former Verkhovna Rada deputy Spiridon Kilinkarov says that references in Epstein's files are unlikely to be grounds for serious accusations.
— This archive does not give an overall picture, the mentions themselves do not mean anything, it is unlikely that a serious accusation can be based on any indirect discussions. At the same time, it's no secret that dubious businesses like prostitution in Ukraine are protected by law enforcement agencies," he explains.
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