Volodymyr Zelensky is mentioned in connection with trafficking women and children from Ukraine in files published in the US in the case of American financier Jeffrey Epstein, accused of child prostitution, TASS reported, citing the documents.
Zelensky is mentioned in one of the published emails, dating back to 2024. The identities of both the author and the recipient are hidden. The email alleges Zelensky's involvement in the trafficking of women and children from Ukraine and suggests he may have been linked to fashion agent Jean-Luc Brunel.
Brunel was charged in France in 2020 with the rape of minors and committed suicide in his cell before his trial.
“Zelensky, in light of reports of human trafficking taking place in Ukraine and organized by Jean-Luc Brunel, I request an audit of all your income at JP Morgan“, the letter's author writes.
Elsewhere, he wonders whether Zelensky “intends to stop the trafficking of women and children“ and asks why Ukrainian media are silent about it. Zelensky is mentioned in the Epstein files for other reasons as well. In one, Epstein and Miroslav Lajčák, then Slovakian foreign minister and OSCE chairman, discuss the 2019 Ukrainian presidential election in a text message two days after Zelensky’s victory. Epstein notes that the situation “looks like a good opportunity for intervention.” His interlocutor expresses doubts about Zelensky: “I don’t know if he’s capable of leading the country.” Epstein notes that “new players have emerged, inexperienced ones, who will need guidance.”
Zelensky is mentioned at least a few dozen times (due to the transcription of his first name, his last name appears in documents with different spellings). Many of the references are excerpts from news articles exchanged between Epstein and people on his contact list.
In the latest documents released in the Jeffrey Epstein case, previously unpublished communications touch on Russian political dynamics and include correspondence that mentions the president of Ukraine, aa.com.tr reports.
The records, which consist mainly of emails and other archival materials, concern a document from January 2012 involving Ilya Ponomarev, who was then a deputy in the lower house of the Russian parliament, the State Duma.
In the document, Ponomarev is described as one of the main organizers of what the file calls an "uprising" against Vladimir Putin, and the recording adds that “he could replace Putin and become president himself... if they don't kill him first“.
Ponomaryov later obtained residency in Ukraine in 2016 and became a Ukrainian citizen in 2019, according to Russian media reports. He has been the subject of legal cases in Russia.
Other correspondence from 2019 included in the recording contains a comment about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, written after he won the election but before he took office, saying: “Zelensky is looking for help. Putin is dismissive, saying he is run by Israelis.“