Epstein's closest assistant turned out to be the daughter of a Russian Chekist working on state projects in Iran

Svetlana Pozhidaeva with her father. Photo: Yuri Pozhidaev's social networks

The "MO" Explainer project published an investigation, drawing attention to the former model, a close associate of the scandalous financier, who radically changed her life after his death. Journalists found out that she comes from a family closely connected with Russian special services, and her own role in the millionaire's circle was much broader than she now tries to present.

Not so simple parents

A family acquaintance of the Pozhidaevs in Moscow says that the heroine's father, Yuri Radomirovich, is a "hereditary Chekist": his father and grandfather allegedly served in the security agencies. Yuri graduated from the Military Institute of Foreign Languages in 1981. During his studies, back in 1978 — a year and a half before the official entry of Soviet troops — he, as a twenty-year-old cadet, went to Afghanistan as a translator in Nahrain.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the man was involved in the wine business but maintained ties with state structures. Since 2018, he began to regularly fly to Iran several times a year. He returned from his last recorded trip in January 2022.

As stated in the material, Pozhidaev Sr. was involved in Iranian projects of "Rostec" and Russian Railways (in the "North-South" railway corridor project).

In 2022, he also sent correspondence to the FSB pension department. This may indicate receiving payments through this service — a typical practice for former employees or officers seconded to civilian structures.

Павялічыць

The Pozhidaev family. Photo from Yuri Pozhidaev's social networks

Svetlana's mother, Irina Martselievna, now 68, is retired. According to open data, in the early 2000s, she worked for "Ankort," a company engaged in encryption systems, and also received income from the "Pressa" enterprise under the Administration of the President of Russia. In 2009-2010, the woman worked in the Moscow office of Lukoil Overseas — a structure through which "Lukoil" managed foreign projects.

According to numerous investigations, both the oil giant and structures under the Presidential Administration can be used as workplaces to cover FSB officers.

In addition, from 1995 to 2021, the model's mother was a co-founder of the public organization "Union of Veterans of the Military Institute of Foreign Languages."

Path to Epstein's assistant

The future assistant to the magnate was born in 1984. After school, the girl entered the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO). There, she received a bachelor's degree in political science in 2004, combining her studies with internships at the Russian Foreign Ministry and Lukoil. After that, the student continued her education under a joint Russian-French master's program.

In the late 2000s, the young Russian woman began a modeling career in Europe and the USA. Her name appeared in the database of the MC2 agency, run by Jean-Luc Brunel — a man whom the investigation also linked to supplying girls for the financier. In February 2022, Brunel was found hanged in his cell.

Павялічыць

Svetlana (Lana) Pozhidaeva on the cover of WWD magazine, 2009. Fashion Model Directory / Explainer

As the Wall Street Journal writes, after a plea agreement in 2008, Epstein changed tactics: he focused on adult women who looked like teenagers — most often models from Europe and Russia. The millionaire attracted them with promises of career advancement, citing his connections and offering alleged vacancies in well-known brands, like Victoria's Secret. However, these promises were almost never fulfilled.

Once in the billionaire's circle, women, according to them, fell into complete dependence: ordinary "massages" gradually escalated into sexual demands. Some claim that such meetings happened daily, and if there were no other girls, the master would turn to his own "assistants."

The scandalous financier controlled key aspects of their lives — finances, medical expenses, immigration status, and housing. He often framed financial aid as loans, which further bound the victims and prevented them from simply breaking ties.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Svetlana said she met Epstein back in 2008 — a model scout introduced her to him, promising an opportunity for a Victoria's Secret audition. Later, she moved to the US, where she found herself in his circle.

In December 2010, Daily Mail photographers spotted her near the millionaire's Manhattan mansion: her name and Aeroflot flight number from Moscow were visible on the luggage tag, the newspaper wrote, indicating she arrived to him immediately after the flight.

Павялічыць

Pozhidaeva leaving Epstein's house in 2010. Photo: Daily Mail

However, later through representatives, the former model stated that it wasn't her in those shots and only acknowledged a later photo from 2016 near the same house. Investigation materials indicate that in April-May 2014, Pozhidaeva flew first class with the financier to Paris.

In the same year, she legalized her stay in the US, obtaining an O-1 visa for individuals with extraordinary abilities. A letter of recommendation for her was signed by the then Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Sergei Belyakov, who is a graduate of the FSB Academy.

According to the published "Epstein files," this official was in correspondence with the magnate for several years. Svetlana herself admitted that Belyakov did this at her boss's request. According to her, the millionaire also provided her with housing.

For more than ten years, the Russian woman was Epstein's assistant: introducing him to other models, sending out questionnaires, and conveying his instructions. In 2016-2018, she flew to Russia two or three times a year from New York, as well as from European cities — Catania, Düsseldorf, and Milan. In turn, the girl's parents, as evidenced by border crossing data, visited her several times a year in Paris, New York, and Miami in 2015 and 2017.

In 2018, the heroine of the investigation began to actively appear in the media as an entrepreneur and founder of the WE Talks project — a platform for supporting women. Funding for these initiatives partly came from her patron's structures. Victoria Drokova, sister of Maria Drokova, ex-commissioner of the Kremlin youth movement "Nashi," became the ambassador of WE Talks in Russia in 2019. In addition, the MGIMO graduate was the founder of the Education Advance fund, through which Epstein donated 50,000 dollars to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Epstein files uncovered on Jan 30 exposed one of his victims — former Russian model Svetlana Pozhidaeva.

She was recruited with promises of jobs and connections, then financially and psychologically controlled inside his network.

A system trapped adult women for years, WSJ. 1 / pic.twitter.com/wEFnjNUvYY

— Tymofiy Mylovanov (@Mylovanov) March 15, 2026

Name change

In July 2019, the millionaire was arrested on charges of human trafficking and sexual exploitation; a month later, his body was found in prison. According to the official version, he committed suicide.

Five months after these events, Pozhidaeva went to Moscow, where she changed her name and passport, deleting old social media accounts. Under her new name — Sofia Plat — she obtained an international passport, which she used to enter the US in 2020. She subsequently visited the Russian capital several more times.

During one of her trips, the woman purchased real estate in an elite area on Paveletskaya (her total property in the Russian Federation is estimated at almost 600,000 dollars). She last flew to Russia in early 2022 and permanently left the country a few days after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began.

Investigators managed to find out that in 2023-2024, Svetlana lived in Beverly Hills (Southern California). According to booking services, during this time she traveled between the US, Europe, and the Middle East, often visiting Dubai. Under her new surname, she is engaged in business in Silicon Valley.

Павялічыць

Sofia Plat is a co-founder of Bridge Funding Global LLC. Photo: arben.ventures / advisors

As the authors of the material note, their interest in the ex-assistant's identity is due to her public activity and possible connections with special services. She positions herself as a human rights activist and organizer of projects "in the name of women," without disclosing sources of funding, while reporting indicates structures connected to the deceased financier.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Sofia Plat does not deny that she introduced her boss to other models, sent him their questionnaires indicating age, and conveyed his instructions. She claims she did not leave the millionaire earlier because he controlled her visas, money, and housing, and she remained silent out of shame, as she was an adult, not a minor.

The former model told WSJ that after the financier's death, she "felt free," changed her name, and moved to another city. She describes attempts to remove her data from documents and publications as protection from re-traumatization and from accusations that she "chose everything herself" or is a "spy." At the same time, she categorically denies any ties to Russian intelligence.

Investigators observe that in Pozhidaeva's case, there is no question of a proven special services operation. However, they quote former KGB officer Sergey Zhirnov saying that children of security agency employees sometimes become involved in their parents' operations. For example, the "Dossier" center described a case where two sons of FSB Colonel Stanislav Makshakov — head of the group that poisoned the politician Navalny — were involved in his surveillance.

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