Ruslana Korshunova | |
|---|---|
 Korshunova backstage at aYigal Azrouël fashion show in September 2007 | |
| Born | Ruslana Sergeyevna Korshunova (1987-07-02)2 July 1987 |
| Died | 28 June 2008(2008-06-28) (aged 20) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Model |
Ruslana Sergeyevna Korshunova (Russian:Руслана Серге́евна Коршунова; 2 July 1987 – 28 June 2008) was a Russian model who, at the time of her death, was a rising star in the fashion industry.[2][3] Her death became a subject of international attention for a variety of reasons, including her connection toJeffrey Epstein.[4][5]
Ruslana Korshunova was born inUelkal,Chukotka, Russia and later moved with her family toAlmaty,Kazakhstan.[6][7][8] Her father Sergey Korshunov was aRed army officer who died in 1992 when she was five years old. According to her mother, Valentina Kutenkova, before Korshunova began modeling she was enrolled in a school for gifted children,[9] and was fluent in Russian, English, Kazakh and German.[2][10]
Korshunova was discovered in 2003, whenAll Asia magazine printed a story on Almaty's local German language club, which Korshunova was then attending. Her photograph, which was featured in the article, caught the attention of Debbie Jones of Models 1; Jones tracked down and signed the 5'9" 15-year-old, whose knee-length hair led to her being nicknamed 'The RussianRapunzel'.[11]
Korshunova was represented byIMG, Beatrice Models, Traffic Models,Marilyn Model Agency and iCasting Moscow.British Vogue hailed her as "a face to be excited about" in 2005.[6] She appeared on the covers ofElle France andVogue Russia, in numerous runway shows, and in print ads forNina Ricci,[12]Blugirl by Blumarine,Clarins,Ghost,Girbaud,Kenzo,Marithé + François Girbaud,Max Studio,Moschino,Pantene,Paul Smith,Vera Wang,Marc Jacobs,Mario Sorrenti,Paolo Roversi,Donna Karan andChristian Dior.[2] In 2006 Korshunova appeared in theVogue Italia feature "Broken Dolls", photographed byPatrick Demarcheleir.[13][14][15] It was reported that, at this point, she was earning $7000 per shoot.[16]
On 28 June 2008, at around 2:30 p.m., Korshunova died after falling from the ninth-floor balcony of her apartment at 130 Water Street in New York'sFinancial District. Police stated that there were no signs of a struggle or violence and concluded that her death was a suicide. She left no note and there was evidence that she had hastily cut her hair. Her former boyfriend stated that he dropped her off at her apartment several hours earlier, after they watched the filmGhost. She was not known to use drugs, and a friend stated that she had just returned from a modeling job inParis, noting that she seemed to be "on top of the world",[17] and was making plans for her up-coming 21st birthday. However, in her social media posts, Korshunova appeared brokenhearted and angry. Her comments included "I'm so lost. Will I ever find myself?", "I'm a bitch. I'm a witch. I don't care what you say.", and "It hurts, as if someone took a part of me, tore it out, mercilessly stomped all over and threw it out. My dream is to fly. Oh, my rainbow, it is too high."[18]
Her body was returned to Russia and buried atKhovanskoye Cemetery in Moscow.[19]Her mother does not believe that her daughter committed suicide, saying "She told me about her work problems about a year ago. She said that she wanted to quit the modeling career. Everything was fine with her recently though. If she had problems at work, she would have told me".[20][21][22]
In January 2024, documents revealed that, in 2006, Korshunova had visitedLittle Saint James, the island belonging to sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein.[23][24] In documents related to Epstein released in January 2026, Korshunova is referenced in Epstein-related correspondence after her death. In a July 2010 email later made public, Epstein mentioned Korshunova while referring to the death of a Russian model two years earlier, blaming her boyfriend for refusing to get her the help she needed.[25] Additional records released in January 2026 include an August 2011 email from a third party to Epstein asking whether a modeling agency had failed to pay Korshunova.[26] The same released materials include a saved image containing a quote attributed to Korshunova, though no context is provided.[27] According to an email in the files, Korshunova was physically abused by her last boyfriend.[28]
British TV producer and filmmakerPeter Pomerantsev has theorised that Korshunova's demise was related to her involvement with Rose of the World, a controversial Moscow-based organization which describes itself as "training for personality development". While researching for a documentary into Korshunova's death, Pomerantsev learned that the model spent three months attending training sessions at Rose of the World. These sessions—which encourage participants to share their worst experiences and recall repressed memories—are modelled afterLifespring, whose controversial methods were the subject of multiple lawsuits for mental damages in the US during the 1980s. Korshunova attended training sessions with a friend, Ukrainian model Anastasia Drozdova, who committed suicide under similar circumstances in 2009.[29] Friends of the two women reported changes in behaviour after several months at the Rose. Korshunova became aggressive, while Drozdova experienced violent mood swings and grew reclusive; both lost weight. After three months of training, Korshunova returned to New York to look for work, where she wrote of feeling lost and doubting herself.Rick Alan Ross, head of the Cult Education Forum, argues that organisations such as Rose of the World "work like drugs: giving you peak experiences, their adherents always coming back for more. The serious problems start when people leave. The trainings have become their lives—they come back to emptiness. The sensitive ones break." Only months after leaving the Rose, Korshunova was found dead.[30]
The nearly 5-foot-9 model's interest in German led to her discovery in 2003. A journalist from All Asia magazine visited her German language club and featured her photo in a story, according to an article in Continent, a Kazakh magazine.
Как мы уже рассказывали, поначалу предполагалось, что модель похоронят на Митинском кладбище – этот вопрос обсуждался еще в Америке во время прощания с Русланой. Однако уже в Москве все "перерешили" – место для могилы «Русской русалки» выбрали на Хованском кладбище.
