Shock ahead: Epstein worked for the Russians? And that means only one thing...

As reported by Index, in June 2018—about a year after the sudden death of Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin, with whom he regularly met—Epstein wanted to speak with Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

The convicted pedophile even offered to help Churkin’s son, Maxim, get a job at a New York-based asset management company, CNN reports.

According to collected and published data, on 24 June 2018, Epstein sent an email to Norwegian politician Thorbjørn Jagland, then Secretary General of the Council of Europe, stating:
"I think you could propose to Putin that Lavrov be given access to a conversation with me. Vitaly Churkin did that, but he passed away?!"

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Tanjug/AP Photo/Jon Elswick

“I have a friend who can help you take the necessary steps, and then introduce you and ask him if he is interested in meeting with you,” Jagland wrote.

Epstein replied:

“He is in a unique position to do something big, like Sputnik was for the space race. You can tell him that you and I are close and that I advise Geist. This is confidential. I would gladly meet with him, but for at least two to three hours, not less than that.”

However, in another email dated 21 May 2013, Epstein, without providing evidence, claimed that he had declined a request from Putin for a meeting during an economic conference in Saint Petersburg.

He stated that if Putin wanted to meet him, he “should set aside the proper time and ensure privacy.”

It is unclear whether Putin ever actually requested a meeting with Epstein.

More than a year later, in July 2014, an email sent to Epstein suggested that he had a scheduled meeting with Putin and had invited the founder of LinkedIn to join him.

However, Joi Ito, then director of the MIT Media Lab, wrote to Epstein:

“I couldn’t convince Reid to change his schedule to go with you to the meeting with Putin. ;-)”

Suspicion of espionage and Kremlin reaction

Although Epstein’s interest in recruiting models from Russia and Eastern Europe was already known, the latest series of documents has fueled new speculation about his motives.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk recently stated in a government session that his country will launch an investigation into Epstein’s possible connections with Russian intelligence.

Tanjug/AP Photo/Jon Elswick

"More and more traces, information, and commentary in the global press point to suspicions that Russian intelligence agencies co-organized this unprecedented pedophilia scandal," Tusk said.

"I don’t need to tell you how serious the increasingly likely possibility that Russian intelligence co-organized this operation is for the security of the Polish state. This can only mean one thing: that they possess compromising materials against many officials who are still active today," he added.

The Kremlin has rejected suggestions that Epstein was a Russian spy.

"The theory that Epstein was controlled by Russian intelligence can certainly be considered, just not seriously," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday, adding that journalists should not "waste time" investigating such claims.

CNN analysts, however, warn that the documents only suggest that Epstein tried to socialize with influential people and position himself as a kind of geopolitical power broker.

Investigation into the Norwegian politician

Due to information from Epstein’s documents, Norway’s investigative unit Økokrim announced on Thursday that it has opened an investigation into Thorbjørn Jagland.

In June 2018, Jagland informed Epstein that he hoped to stay at his Paris residence after returning from Moscow, where he planned to meet with Putin, Lavrov, and then-Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

"Sorry I won’t be with you to meet with the Russians," Epstein replied.

Trips to Russia and visas until the very end

Although it is unclear how often Epstein traveled to Russia, flight records confirm that he visited the country from 22 to 24 November 2002.

A photo published in 2005 shows Epstein in Sarov, a Russian city that houses a closed nuclear research center.

The photo, geolocated by CNN, is dated 28 April 1998, although the date cannot be independently verified.

Epstein’s interest in Russia did not wane even toward the end. According to published emails, he again applied for a Russian visa in 2018, and in March 2019—just months before his arrest on charges of sex trafficking of minors—his team inquired about transferring a valid Russian visa to a new passport.