The Destruction of Ruslana Korshunova

On June 28, 2008, a 20-year-old fashion model, Ruslana Korshunova died when she struck the street in front of her Manhatten apartment building, having apparently descended from her ninth floor apartment balcony.

 Note that I did not say “fell” or “leaped” or “apparent suicide.”  I do not believe that her death was either accidental or deliberate—at least not deliberate on her part.  I believe that she was murdered, probably by someone in the Russian mafia.

 During my travels to the newly independent countries of the former Soviet Union (FSU), I stayed in a hotel once where not long before a foreign businessman had been thrown from his hotel room window because he refused a shakedown request.  Subsequently, in other FSU countries I heard similar stories.  Russian organized crime figures appreciate the economy of using rapid descent from a high place as a means of execution.

 Consider that this young woman had achieved international fame and fortune—and she still had family in Kazakhstan, a country where organized crime thrives and many officials are corrupt.  She would certainly have come to the attention of Russian mafia figures, and stimulated schemes of how they might profit by her success.

 Okay, that is speculation, but look at the photos that I borrowed from the New York Daily News.  The upper floors of her building are recessed, set back after the 7^th floor.  Korshunova lived on the 9^th floor.  Yet, somehow she not only cleared the lower floors, she landed in the middle of the street.  That is one determined suicide to jump over the shelf of the lower floors, the sidewalk, and two traffic lanes to land just short of the yellow lines.

Witnesses say that her arms were crushed and there was head trauma.  From this distance, it looks like she hit the street head first with her arms out to break the fall.  Do suicides dive to their deaths?  Or jump?

 Other friends are quoted as saying that she just returned from Paris and was in high spirits.  Not a candidate for suicide.  She had a blog where she recorded her good feelings and bad, but she did not leave a suicide note.

 The police say that there were no signs of a struggle.  There wouldn’t be.  She was killed by professionals.  Warnings and discussion would have happened earlier.  On Saturday, they entered the apartment for one purpose.  They left the scene clean and tidy.

 Of course the investigation continues, but from what I’ve seen so far, I say that it was an apparent homicide, and the police should be looking in the "Little Odessa," neighborhood of Brooklyn for leads.

Comments

[Yuila]

Maybe you are right that she was murdered, but you hava absolutelly wrong view of the newly independent countries of the former Soviet Union aspecially Russia. Your point of view that our community consists of only criminals- that's wrong!! I live in Moscow and I should say that during these yeas we don't have any! shoots in for example shools? universities,as you had! Of course we have some problems as other well-developed countries, but you should feel ashamed to discourse and blacken other countries covering the death of this poor Russian girl.

[Rina]

Yulia, telling the truth is not the same as blackening. That the US is a rotten place in itself (I would never let my child to go and live there), is a different matter. That doesn't change the fact that the majority of Russian emigres - around the world - are criminals or all sorts of con- artists. If you want to be safe as a Russian living/working abroad, stay away from that crowd, especially if you have money like this poor girl had. I live abroad for 20 years and I know that kind of people who surrounded her (all her boyfriends and their mates). When you see people like that, you should run a mile. It's very sad that our parents basically sell their daughters into model industry without thinking of what their life will be like. Parents like that, to me, are no different than pimps! If the girl would go and get some education after leaving school and then get a normal job, none of this would have happened. I feel very sorry for her and I agree with the author of this article. My brother-in-law didn't pay a debt in Russia and was found hanged - also a so-called "suicide" while we all know that it wasn't. So, I am speaking from experience, not from a Never-Never land you live in your dreams. And I do very much love Russia - but not the post-Soviet Russia of gangsters and pimps!

[Hiker]

Kazakhstan, a country where organized crime thrives and many officials are corrupt. She would certainly have come to the attention of Russian mafia figures

Please be advised that Kazakhstan is independent country and do not confuse it with Russia.

[Regina]

Russian mafia-its myth.I am russian ,i am from Russia and no mafia here!NO/Of course we have criminal like everywhere in the world but not mafia as you imagine.
About russian mafia in US.Bullshit.All russians who was in mafia(1991-1997) saty in Russia,they have lot of money here,Russia biggest country in the world with lot of oil and money.What point be in US?
In US you have mafia from ex soviet republics.Like kazakhstan,ukraine,belarus,moldova etc.
Yes they speak on russian but they not russians!

[Елена]

Господа, хотите спорьте, хотите нет, девочка была убита.
Убита русской (или казахской, или еврейской, или ещё какой русскоговорящей) мафией.
Была эта неписанная красавица абсолютно беззащитной и наивной.
И имела деньги. Увы. Последнее её и сгубило.
Продать её наши профсвахи олигархам не могли: независима она.
Ну вот и разделались таким вот путём.
Жаль. Очень красивая девочка была.

[Anna]

So funny how you Russian say that there in no mafia in your country. You are so naive!! Regardless of the untimely death of this girl, you should open your eyes and look around. Look harder, if you can/want: you live in a totally rotten, corrupt and dreadful country where there is no law and no-one is interested in protecting you, the ordinary citizens. I understand your desire to defend your country but, frankly, it looks ridiculous and rather pitiful.

[CIS]

hello, I am Russian too.
Please, stop talking about mafia, it looks you can't think outside of the box. We have and had mafia, but it is nothing (%) in comparison to all people in our country. That model was killed by her competitor (I mean, another model) or, that seems MORE true, by the PERSON WHOM SHE KNEW BAD THINGS ABOUT. She was pushed out!

[Koshka]

It's horrible to read all of your comments guys! Come on! What mafia are you talking about??
In that case why didn't "mafia" came after over rich Russian models?? Take Natalia Vodyanova for example she has more money! Moreover if there was anything said to her before,why didn't this girl tell anything to anyone? Why didn't she hire bodyguards for example, she had money she could have afford it if she was afraid of someone, no?!?
Instead she lived a regular life, met up with friends, went out and had a boyfriend, just like any over person her age! She did not live in fear!
Notes that she left in blogs...well don't we all have our bad days once in a while, tired at work, family problems etc.
For some reason I am sure it wasn't a suicide, but please what mafia???

[Mia]

http://www.sptimes.ru/index.php?action_id=2&story_id=1353 Here is a good article to read for those blind ones who don't believe in mafia. Russian mafia EXISTS in Russia, US, Canada, Europe, Latin America... everywhere...
And, yes, unfortunately I have the same belief that Ruslana was a victim of Russian mafia because she didn't pay her dues... For Russian models (mostly in Russia) mafia is like a 'family' (krisha).. She was a good source of money making a few thousand for one fashion walk, and they wouldn't let her go.

[Lera]

I think the author is right. It can be Russian Mafia. I know that even American police is scared of it. I am Russian,but I always avoid Russians in America...I mean those whom I do not know well.

[Lulu]

Okay, even if its not the 'mafia'....Im more intrested in this paragraph "The upper floors of her building are recessed, set back after the 7th floor. Korshunova lived on the 9th floor. Yet, somehow she not only cleared the lower floors, she landed in the middle of the street. That is one determined suicide to jump over the shelf of the lower floors, the sidewalk, and two traffic lanes to land just short of the yellow lines." Im looking at the picture, and as far as I can tell that 9th floor almost looks impossible to just leap out of, and then to go over two lanes of traffic? I dont get it. How is it possible? Seems like someone would have to freaking catapolt you almost to get you to go that far out into the street. Anyone else wondering about that? And the fact that it says she pretty much landed head first with her arms out...if you jump out a window/balcony...seems like youd be feet first....

[Lulu]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/28/ruslana-korshunova-superm_n_109792.html
hmm this shows a better pic of her apt window...now i can kind of see how u could just leap out of it. so sad.

[what.happened.to.ruslana]

Hello everybody.
I do agree she was killed. But I wonder how did they throw her from the window of her apt? That seems impossible. It had to be done from another point, like the other building in front. And how could they taken her until there? Somebody must have seen them. Have they given to her drugs? Nobody said anything about the drug tests on her ... You have any idea?

[what.happened.to.ruslana]

Hello everybody.
I do agree she was killed. But I wonder how did they throw her from the window of her apt? That seems impossible. It had to be done from another point, like the other building in front. And how could they taken her until there? Somebody must have seen them. Have they given to her drugs? Nobody said anything about the drug tests on her ... You have any idea?

[RPBarr]

Try this scenario. Someone came to her door that she knew. He was accompanied by one or two large men who quickly pinned her arms to prevent any struggle. An extra bruise or two would not raise any suspicions at the autopsy, so she was stunned with a blow. Someone skilled in martial arts could do that easily. Two men on that balcony, concealed by the wrapping could have launched her toward the street. There were no reports of screams, so I would guess that she was unconscious or semi-conscious when thrown, awakened in the air and put out her arms to block the fall.

[what.happened.to.ruslana]

Hi RPBarr
So u think she was betrayed from someone she knew. I cant't think she did not oppose any resistance! And she can't have been launched from that balcony, too far from the street.
Anyway if someone launched her, she must have been unconscious, but how did they do, with drugs? Newspapers said there were no signs of fight on her body, but if they have taken hers arms, there must be signs on her corpse. I think the police did not tell all the truth.

[what.happened.to.ruslana]

by the way! i read that police has not done any autopsy on her. WHY? now nobody would know if she has been given drugs. everything is soo strange.

[RPBarr]

The medical examiner is required by law to do an autopsy on anyone who dies who is not under doctor's care at the time of death, like in a hospital. In Korshunova's case an autopsy could find drugs or alcohol in her system, or pregnancy, or a brain condition, or other injuries not caused by the fall. If an autopsy was not done it was because of (1) corruption--which I do not believe, or (2) the government does not want the truth made public. In Virginia some years ago there was a case in which a college student was forced to become an informant for the Drug Enforcement Agency. Then he was found shot to death. That death was ruled suicide although the boy's family demonstrated that it was impossible for him to shoot himself in the chest with a shotgun and not leave powder burns. (At least that's the way I remember the story.) The reason was that the DEA did not want to admit that the student had been working for them because if they admitted it was murder, they would have to explain the motive. I do not believe that Korshunova was an informant for the government, but there may be reasons why the government does not want this case investigated. Perhaps the man who killed her was an informant.
As for the idea that she must have resisted, I can tell you that I was trained to arrest people. Very often, it is possible to overwhelm a suspect with quick movements and slap on handcuffs before they have a chance to resist. I don't think that Korshunova had martial arts training or was otherwise better prepared to fight back than the average street criminal. A professional killer could easily have subdued her, and a good blow to the head or other nerve points (base of the neck, solar plexus, etc.) would have stunned her enough to allow them to throw her from the balcony.

[Pasha]

First, there is doorman in her house. So, the killers can't enter unnoticed.
Second, there are a lot of videocams: in the house (near the elevators) and ouside, near and opposit the street. Why police don't reveil the videotapes?

[RPBarr]

Regarding the doorman and videocams, doormen are only human. There are ways to get past them and ways to persuade them to forget what they've seen. As for the cameras, if the tapes still exist, they are not being revealed for the same reason that an autopsy was not performed.

[what.happened.to.ruslana]

Hi.
Ok, it's easy to overwhelm a young girl (probably underweight) but her corpse must show signs of all this. If the autopsy was not performed on her, is because they don't want people to know the truth. A forensic could easily know the truth. I can't believe police do not investigate if she was on drugs! It's the first thing I would look for. What if she was pregnant of an important public man and want to keep the baby? I see clearly this was not a suicide. Models and people working in the fashion world know what's going on. Why they don't say anything, anonimously, on the blogs?

[RPBarr]

I agree that forensics would tell us a lot and in the normal course of events there would be a thorough examination. Sometimes the police do not announce all that they know because they do not want to tip off their suspects to the investigation. If the perpetrators were in organized crime, then this may be the case. Also, if organized crime people in the fashion industry are behind this murder, then those closest to Korshunova have a reasonable fear for their lives. I worked briefly about the fringes of the fashion industry some years ago and found many people who were socially or artistically brave, but their courage did not extend to risking this kind of violence.

[what.happened.to.ruslana]

But do you know the police have fear of russian mafia? I mean, are they russians more powerful? Of course people do not want to risk their lives, but we are talking about a murder of a innocent girl, somebody has to do something about it.

[RPBarr]

Perhaps I was not clear in my last comment. I think that models and others in the fashion industry are afraid of Russian mafia, just as they are afraid of the American-Italian mafia who take money from the manufacturing side of the fashion industry. The police are not afraid of these groups, but they often have trouble making cases against them--especially when witnesses are too afraid to talk. Because we do not see anything being done, it does not mean that nothing is being done behind the scenes. What bothers me is that poor Ruslana may not get justice because the police and FBI are trying to build a bigger case on the crime bosses.

[Russian Journalist]

Thank you very much for your comments!
I was at the scene and I saw the big light entrance to the building. Doorman is sitting at the desk and nobody can pass through without permission. Stranger should be or with the person, who lives in the building, or if he is expected, tenant should inform in advance.
There are a lot of cameras in the building.
Opposite the wide enough Water street are several big stores in the towers: FedEx Kinko’s, Verizon, Bolton’s… Certainly, all of them have cameras. Vis-à-vis to the Rusalana’s building’s entrance is a bus stop.
I spoke to the doorman Mahmoud Nakeeb, who worked that tragic Saturday until 8 a.m. He said, that Ruslana came at 4 a.m. She was brought by the car, but the person who brought her, didn’t came inside with her. Doorman stressed, that she was in a good mood, smiling, as usual. It was just 5th day she came from Europe (she was in Germany & France).
His day-shift was at 8 a.m. Another doorman says, that Ruslana left the building at 10 a.m. And it is unknown if she even came back after that! May be she was killed somewhere and her dead body was thrown from the car in front of the building, or she was hit with the car (as you know, several eyewitnesses say that they thought it was car accident)?
If she felt from the balcony, she needs to get over at least 15-20 m in order to land in the manner how it passed. Also, the flight should be not along the straight line, but 3-4 m aside. It is something which in real life cannot be happened.
Russian Journalist