The last year has not been kind to Anastasia Vashukevich, known as “Nasty Rybka” across her social media accounts. Last week, the 28-year-old model was shown being forcibly taken into custody at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport. Russian media outlet Tzarism shared a video of the arrest courtesy of Ren TV. The video shows Vashukevich struggle against the attempts of Russian authorities to subdue her.

The model and escort from Belarus has been embroiled in one of the world’s largest scandals to date, namely Russia’s interference in the United States election that brought Donald Trump to power. Her place in this story is curious, and we have to go back to 2018 to understand how it all started.

In early 2018, CNN reported that Vashukevich called for the United States to help free her from the clutches of Thai authorities after she, alongside Russian “sex guru” Alexander Kirillov, were arrested on charges of prostitution and criminal conspiracy. The two claimed to know secrets related to Russia’s involvement in the United States election in exchange for political asylum.

The secrets that Vashukevich was offering at the time were related to Oleg Deripaska, president of Rusal, one of the world’s largest aluminum producing companies. Vashukevich claimed that Deripaska, a member of Putin’s inner circle, played a part in the meddling that allegedly swayed the election back in 2016. The proof? A YouTube video that shows Deripaska conversing with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko and then Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, Victoria Nuland. Vashukevich claims she heard Deripaska and Prikhodko discussing the U.S. election at another time, but refused to share the details.

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How did Vashukevich get close enough to Deripaska to take such a video in the first place? The answer to this is that Vashukevich was reportedly “very close” to Deripaska. This story was supported by Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny, who claimed that in August of 2016, Vashukevich was one of a number of sex workers aboard the yacht owned by Prikhodko. With Navalny’s backing, “Nasty Rybka’s” claims began to gain traction.

Deripaska has been linked to former Trump Campaign Manager Paul Manafort. Manafort’s association with Deripaska goes back as early as 2008. He is said to owe the Russian oligarch millions of dollars, as reported by the New York Times back in July of 2017. Some have suggested that Manafort traded information about the campaign to Deripaska to make amends for his inability to pay off his debts.

Another version of the story surrounding Vashukevich suggests that she was working with the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), to investigate and bring down Deripaska. A recent article by Tzarizm even goes as far as to claim that Vashukevich’s prostitution case and arrest in Moscow’s airport are an attempt by the FSB to ensure no loose ends in an operation that has seemingly failed. Despite their arrest, both Kirillov and Vashkevich were released from their detention, as reported by Tzarizm, another twist in this curious story.

The Trump Administration recently lifted sanctions on firms that Deripaska is closely tied to, including Rusal, En+ Group and JSC EuroSibEnergo. This isn’t the first time that this has happened, either. Trump eased pressure on Rusal last August.

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These developments, along with the arrest of Roger Stone last week will only add fuel to the Mueller investigation. All these stories are unfolding at the same time, and it may just be that “Nasty Rybka” and her account of her time on Prikhodko’s yacht may still prove pivotal in the investigation to come.

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Brian Szlenk

Article by Brian Szlenk