In a shocking revelation from recently revealed court documents, it was revealed that Ruslana Kureshnova, a prominent model who worked with fashion giants such as Marc Jacobs, Vira Wong, Nina Ricci, and DKNY, was a regular passenger on Jeffrey Epstein's private jet as a teenager. The revelation adds a dark layer to the already mysterious circumstances surrounding her untimely death in 2008, after jumping off the balcony of her ninth-floor apartment building on Wall Street, New York.
Korshunova's connection to Epstein's notorious private island, Little St. James, was revealed with the release of logs on his private jet, the Lolita Express as it was called, where she was registered as a passenger on June 7, 2006. Just weeks before Epstein's first arrest on charges related to sex with underage girls. She was 18 at the time. Epstein took his own life in his cell at a New York detention center in July 2019 after being accused of sex trafficking underage girls.
It's unclear what happened when Korshunova arrived on the island, where Epstein would sexually exploit underage girls — allegedly with some reputable and influential friends. Among others, accordingly, Bill Clinton, Alan Dershowitz, Ehud Barak. It is known that Epstein himself, his crew that included bodyguard Igor Zinoviev, personal chef Lance Calloway, and veteran assistant Sarah Kellen were also present on the flight. There was also a woman identified as Stephanie Tidwell, and a former UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) fighter whose identity is unknown, which only adds mystery to the circumstances of her death.
Korshunova jumped to her death from the window of her apartment on Water Street in Manhattan's business district at 14:30 p.m. on June 28, 2008. Police officials noted that there were no signs of violence in her apartment and that all evidence, including eyewitness accounts, pointed to suicide. She jumped to her death after cutting a hole in a mesh covering her ninth-floor balcony. "I heard what sounded like a gunshot or a bomb or an explosion," a stunned electrician who spoke to a nearby police officer said at the time. "Her arms were crushed, and a lot of blood came out of her head," he added.
Tragically, Korshunova's life deteriorated in the years after she flew on Epstein's plane. Her ex-boyfriend, Artem Parchenok, who spoke to the New York Post after her death, revealed that the model dealt with hidden problems, describing her as someone who kept her struggles undisclosed and usually did not share her distress with anyone. He revealed that she had confessed to him her difficulties balancing her personal life with the demands of her thriving career.
In the month before her death, Korshunova lost significant weight and left her acquaintances long messages describing how she missed her home and family and talking about problems in her love life. Perchenok, who was with her on the last night of her life, said he knew that when things went wrong in her career, she would take it upon herself. "I think she just gave up," he said.
Born in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, who was nicknamed "Russian Rapunzel" because of her "fairy-tale looks" and long chestnut hair curls, she rose to prominence in the modeling world in 2003 after being discovered by his London modeling agent Models1. The revelation of her involvement with Epstein raises questions about the impact the flight and the visit had on her life and career.
Her relationship with the notorious financier leaves us wondering if he played a role in her struggles with self-worth and nightmares that haunted her.
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