Epstein and the Ukrainian "Models"

In 2012 one of Epstein's intermediaries emailed him offering access to a large pool of young women from Ukraine. The message specifically mentioned a contact (referred to as "Yuliia" or similar) who could provide a list of approximately 400 women associated with modeling and bridal agencies in Kiev.

The intermediary described many of these women as "mostly cheap escorts" while highlighting two agencies as the "best" in the city: Linea 12 Models and L-Models.L-Models, founded in 1993 as one of the earliest modeling agencies in Ukraine, remains active and is currently co-owned by Irina Timofeeva and Stas Yankelievsky (also spelled Yankelevsky or Yankelievsky). The agency has been ranked among the top 50 modeling agencies globally and has represented several notable models. For instance, Irina Kravchenko participated in around forty runway shows during the Fall/Winter 2016/2017 season. Yankelievsky began his career in the 1990s, including work on a television program in Kharkov. He reportedly turned down a collaboration offer from renowned scout Gia Dzhikidze—who discovered models such as Natalia Vodianova and Irina Shayk—to focus on building L-Models. During the late 1990s, while many agencies prioritized beauty pageant winners with ties to wealthy sponsors, Yankelievsky focused on recruiting very slender and youthful models—a preference that may have drawn Epstein's interest, according to the correspondence context.Irina Timofeeva, Yankelievsky's business partner, has spoken candidly about the industry's practices in interviews. She considers 18–19 to be the ideal starting age for a modeling career but acknowledges that the agency begins working with girls as young as 14, explaining: "Otherwise, someone else will take them away." She has described modeling as a high-risk business because success hinges on the models themselves, whom the agency views almost as business partners from their teenage years. Agencies invest heavily in building their careers, yet young models can abruptly switch agencies or leave the industry entirely, which she likened to "a stab in the back."Following media coverage of the Epstein files' references to L-Models, the agency issued a statement denying any involvement in improper activities and threatening legal action against outlets for what it called misinterpretations of the documents. The correspondence appears to reflect an intermediary's unsolicited recommendation rather than direct collaboration between Epstein and the agency. Stas Yankelievsky maintains an active presence on VK (a Russian social network), where he occasionally posts updates.

This all stems from the 2026 release of millions of pages related to Epstein, which have brought renewed attention to his extensive international network involving modeling agencies in Eastern Europe.

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