In 2019, authorities in Russia's Leningrad region initiated criminal proceedings against a group accused of recruiting underage girls into prostitution. Case documents repeatedly reference billionaire Oleg Deripaska, though he was ultimately excluded from the formal charges, according to investigations by "Important Stories" and "Verstka."
Reporters reviewed 25 volumes of court files detailing the sex trafficking operation, which document over 30 instances of illegal conduct. Evidence indicates the underage prostitution ring operated between 2018 and 2019, with recruiters targeting victims through fake beauty pageants, modeling agencies, dating platforms, and messaging app communities.
The traffickers primarily exploited 15-16-year-old virgins. Some victims were coerced into faking virginity loss during encounters—provided with syringes containing red dye and vaginal pain-inducing pills. The network also falsified identification documents to manipulate the girls' ages based on client preferences.