Oligarch's 'mistress' offers info on Trump-Russia ties for US asylum
A model embroiled in a Russian oligarch scandal has asked the US embassy in Thailand for political asylum, promising information on Donald Trump's ties to Moscow if she can avoid extradition to Russia.
Anastasia Vashukevich and nine other Russians were arrested for working illigally in Thaliand on Monday after police burst into a sex training she was holding at a hotel in the resort city of Pattaya. The Kremlin's top security official arrived in Thailand the next day.
A representative of Ms Vashukevich told The Telegraph on Wednesday that she would be extradited to Russia in 48 hours.
Ms Vashukevich caused a scandal by posting Instagram videos in which it is claimed Oleg Deripaska, the metals tycoon, is seen discussing US relations with deputy prime minister Sergei Prikhodko, on a yacht. The clips were published online by opposition leader Alexei Navalny.
The meeting reportedly happened in August 2016, a month after Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort offered Mr Deripaska private briefings in an email seen by US media.
Mr Deripaska has said he previously employed Mr Manafort but did not receive briefings. He has sued Ms Vashukevich and Mr Kirillov for violating his privacy.
In a letter to the US consul seen by The Telegraph, Ms Vashukevich's partner, Alexander Kirillov, claims Ms Vashukevich had been Mr Deripaska's “mistress” for a year and alleges she has “important information” about the “crimes” of the Russian government.
A spokesperson for Mr Deripaska denied she had been his mistress and said her claims were an attempt to “politicise the accusations of the Thai police”. Her “endless fictitious stories” distracted from her “real violations,” the spokesperson said.
Ms Vashukevich, a self-proclaimed seduction expert from Belarus more widely known as Rybka, or “little fish,” suggested she had evidence of Moscow's activities during the US election in a Tuesday Instagram post.
“I'm ready to tell you about all the unsolved puzzles that you didn't have before, to confirm them with audio and video, relating to our honourable parliamentarians' ties with Manafort, Trump and all the clamour around the election in the United States. I know a lot,” she said.
A post shared by Настя Рыбка (@nastya_rybka.ru) on Feb 28, 2018 at 1:17am PST
Her representative said he had handed the letter to an employee at the US embassy in Bangkok. The US state department referred requests for comment to the department of homeland security, which could not immediately be reached.
Ms Vashukevich and the nine other Russians have been charged with working illegally in Thailand.
Mr Navalny asked the UK serious fraud office this month to investigate Mr Deripaska, whose EN+ company raised £1 billion in a London stock offering in November, for possibly violating the bribery act by taking Mr Prikhodko on the yacht with young women.
