Anastasia Vashukevich (27) is the Belarusian woman connected to Oleg Deripaska who was being held in a prison in Thailand under charges of recruiting women to act as prostitutes and escorts. [Backstory] Her name surfaced early in 2018 when CNN claimed she had dirt on Trump and “tapes” of some sort relating to Deripaska and his activities with contacts around the 2016 election. [More Backstory]
While the outlandish aspects to the storyline pushed by initial media appeared ridiculous; there was something about Ms. Vashukevich’s connections to the larger Deripaska story that also appeared valid. Ms. Vashukevich has been held in Thailand for almost a year.
Last week the Thai government agreed to release Ms. Vashukevich. Today she was en route to Belarus when she was intercepted in Moscow:
MOSCOW — A model from Belarus who claimed to have recordings shedding light on the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia was detained at a Moscow airport Thursday on prostitution allegations, the police said.
The model, Anastasia Vashukevich, had been deported from Thailand earlier in the day after spending nine months in prison on charges of conspiracy and soliciting prostitution.
She was booked to fly to Minsk, Belarus, but was detained along with three others traveling with her as she changed planes at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport, according to her husband and another person traveling with her.
No evidence has emerged of the tape that Vashukevich claimed showed contacts between Trump campaign officials and Russians. Her arrest in Moscow was unexpected and blocked her from possibly talking to dozens of journalists waiting for her in the airport’s arrivals zone. (read more)
As the larger story around Deripaska has unfolded, in hindsight we can connect some dots that may just explain what is going on.
Russian Billionaire Oleg Deripaska, a former business associate of Paul Manafort, is a central figure in the 2016 DOJ/FBI targeting of President Trump.
In September of 2016 the FBI approached Deripaska in New York and asked him to participate in the FBI operation now known as Crossfire Hurricane. {Go Deep}
Oleg laughed off the FBI request but through his lawyers and representatives maintained frequent contacts with FBI/DOJ officials, and some U.S. politicians. His primary motive was/is his business interests.
Here’s what I think happened.
It now seems certain that Ms. Anastasia Vashukevich was with Oleg Deripaska around the time all of the 2016 activity was taking place. That activity included calls and contacts from various people in U.S. government (FBI, DOJ and intelligence apparatus) and his own network of interests (Adam Waldman, Christopher Steele, etc).
Given the proximity and the timing, I believe Ms. Vashukevich likely did overhear some details of communications Deripaska was having about Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, the 2016 election, the FBI, and the aggregate IC effort to influence the 2016 election. Did Anastasia actually gain recordings? Likely, NO. However, did she likely hear conversations? That’s a resounding YES.
Were Deripaska’s affiliates (lawyers etc), and Deripaska himself, likely recording conversations with U.S. intelligence people? Yes. It would be silly not to given the history of the U.S. intelligence community burning their resources after usefulness is exhausted. [Deripaska himself experienced this] Keeping a record of conversations as an insurance policy therein is not a stretch.
When Vashukevich was arrested in Thailand; and especially when she tried to leverage her exit from her legal trouble through the claim of tapes etc; it’s likely Deripaska (and the U.S. intel community) viewed her incarceration as beneficial. She couldn’t cause trouble. So Oleg left her in Bangkok. [If a Russian billionaire wanted to get a woman out of prison in Bangkok, it would not be difficult]
Keep in mind all of the 2016 fraudulent “Muh Russia” narrative creation was happening in the background and candidate Trump is oblivious to it. FISA’s on Carter Page; intel operations again George Papadopoulos; running Five-Eyes spies (Tawil, Halper etc.) against the campaign; and the requests of Deripaska for assistance therein; all of it was happening in the background. Ms. Vashukevich would only hear a flicker of it at the time.
Additionally, as we noted, the real risk to the corrupt DOJ and FBI officials was if any of this was exposed. Some of it has come to light over the past two years.
Now, think about this…. Yes, with Oleg Deripaska in the picture there was indeed Russian meddling in the 2016 election; only, it wasn’t the type of meddling being sold by U.S. media….. The FBI/DOJ has approached Russian Deripaska to frame their Russian conspiracy narrative. It is almost a certainty that Deripaska, through an intermediary, was one of Chris Steele’s sources for the dossier. [Steele previously worked for Deripaska.]
Now, put yourself in Deripaska’s shoes and think about what happens AFTER candidate Donald Trump surprisingly wins the 2016 election. All of a sudden Deripaska the asset becomes a risk to the corrupt Scheme Team (DOJ/FBI et al); especially as the DOJ/FBI then execute the “insurance policy” effort against Donald Trump…. and eventually enlist Robert Mueller.
It is entirely possible for a Russian to be blackmailing someone, but it ain’t Trump vulnerable to blackmail; it’s the conspiracy crew within the DOJ, FBI, intelligence apparatus and even some significant politicians. Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska now has blackmail material on Comey, McCabe and crew that he can leverage for his own business interests.
In 2017 Oleg Deripaska was represented in the U.S. by Adam Waldman. Mr. Waldman was also representing Christopher Steele, the author of the Dossier. Waldman was the liaison Senator Mark Warner (Vice-Chair Senate Intelligence Committee) was using to try and set up a secret meeting with Christopher Steele. {Text Messages}
Adam Waldman and Oleg Deripaska
As you can see from the text messages (more here), the House Intelligence Committee wanted to interview Deripaska. However, based on their ongoing contact and relationship Deripaska’s lawyer, Adam Waldman, asks Senate Intelligence Committee Vice-Chair Mark Warner for feedback.
Oleg Deripaska was blocked from testifying to congress. Now, it was obviously not from the HPSCI (Nunes Committee), but rather by the Senate Intel Committee, via Vice-Chair Senator Mark Warner. Oh yes, THAT “no paper trail” senator, Mark Warner, again.
This, all of this, is the stuff happening at the time Ms. Anastasia Vashukevich is traveling with Oleg Deripaska.
What becomes clear from all of this is that Anastasia Vashukevich was positioned as a Red Sparrow; a recruiting agent for prostitutes and escort workers – under the employ of Oleg Deripaska, likely using the sex trade as Russian trade-craft.
Anastasia Vashukevich was busted in Thailand for her recruiting efforts, as outlined in the media report. Ms. Vashukevich tried to extricate herself from the trouble by leveraging her knowledge of the communication between Deripaska and Christopher Steele to the media.
It is entirely possible Ms. Vashukevich knew of recordings of Oleg Deripaska telling Steele, directly or through intermediaries, the ridiculous Trump-Russian-Hookers story; and she was trying to leverage knowledge of those “tapes” as an exit from the Bangkok prison….. Which, given the current situation and collapsing narrative, would be embarrassing to multiple interests…. including U.S. officials…. who along with Deripaska would not want that to become public.
Now does Anastasia Vashukevich arrest in Moscow make sense?
Now does it make sense why the Washington Post, specifically The Washington Post, would be quick to frame the narrative?
[…] Soon after her apparent connection to Deripaska came to light, Vashukevich and several Russians were arrested while conducting what she described as a sex training seminar for Russian tourists in the Thai resort town of Pattaya. In jail, she pleaded for U.S. help, saying she had recordings revealing ties between Russia and Donald Trump. (link)
References:
♦CNN Dispatches reporter, to Bangkok Thailand HERE
♦Vashukevich says gave “tapes” back to Deripaska HERE
♦John Solomon approached by Adam Waldman (Oleg’s lobbyist/lawyer) HERE
♦Oleg’s Story and connection to the DOJ/FBI Scheme outlined HERE.
♦Bruce Ohr and Chris Steele connecting to Oleg Deripaska HERE
♦Adam Waldman (Oleg’s lawyer) refusing to cooperate with investigators HERE.