Billionaire Oleg Deripaska Implicated in Underage Prostitution Ring, Allegations Emerge from New Investigation

A criminal inquiry into a Russian sex trafficking operation involving minors has revealed claims that billionaire Oleg Deripaska was one of its clients, according to a recent investigative article by the exiled news organizations Vyorstka and IStories.

This purported prostitution network was active from at least 2018 to 2019 and operated under the guise of regional teenage beauty contests, modeling agencies, and dating websites, reporters stated, referencing law enforcement documents obtained from an anonymous source.

Investigators from the Russian police identified at least four underage victims and laid charges against five individuals in 2019. One victim reportedly testified that Deripaska had engaged the services of the ring, as stated in the report published on Thursday.

Between 2022 and 2024, three of the defendants received prison sentences of up to six years. Of the other two, one remains on the run from Russian authorities, while the other has evaded extradition from Austria.

The sole male defendant in this case is said to have enlisted in the Wagner mercenary group to participate in the conflict in Ukraine, subsequently receiving a medal for his courage.

Russia’s Investigative Committee, responsible for probing significant crimes, has not responded to inquiries from Vyorstka and IStories.

An unidentified police investigator disclosed to the two outlets that prosecutors had instructed them to cease their investigation into Deripaska concerning the alleged sex trafficking operation. “Our superiors, following the prosecutors’ orders, told us to stay out of it,” the investigator was quoted as saying.

Neither Deripaska’s assistant nor his aluminum firm Rusal provided comments when approached.

Another alleged client, businessman Alexander Usov, has reportedly fled to Austria, which rejected Moscow’s request for his extradition. The report characterizes Usov as a business associate of former Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov’s family and notes his involvement in significant construction projects in St. Petersburg.

Following the release of the investigative article on Thursday, both Vyorstka and IStories reported that their websites and social media accounts experienced coordinated cyberattacks.

In 2018, the late opposition activist Alexei Navalny accused Deripaska of having connections with a young Belarusian escort from 2016 to 2017. At that time, Deripaska denied the allegations, characterizing Navalny’s video investigation as defamatory.