Victims of a modeling agency in Nizhny Novgorod have appealed to the Prosecutor General's Office.

      02 December 2025 08:25

      Society

      Residents of Nizhny Novgorod who became victims of the activities of the modeling agency MaryWay appealed to the Prosecutor General’s Office asking for an investigation at the federal level. They published their appeal on social media.

      The MaryWay agency offered paid courses and promised employment in the fashion industry. However, clients were later forced to take out loans and hand over money under threats.

      The agency’s founder, Maria Babkina, was detained in 2024. Despite this, the investigation dragged on. Later the victims recorded a video appeal to Alexander Bastrykin in which they said they continue to be subjected to pressure and large sums are being extorted from them. The head of the Investigative Committee demanded that the case be transferred to his agency.

      In August 2025 it became known that MaryWay’s casting director, Polina Malinina, had died. No signs of violent death were found.

      The victims said they had repeatedly sent petitions to the regional prosecutor’s office asking that the case materials be transferred to the Investigative Committee, but there was no response.

      According to them, the progress of the investigation raises serious concerns. The victims point to attempts by investigators to distort testimony, mislead them and restrict their procedural rights.

      Furthermore, the extortion, the complainants claim, has not stopped. Representatives of the agency allegedly act together with employees of financial institutions, depriving victims of income, scholarships and property, and engaging in harassment.

      The authors of the appeal also allege that they were not allowed to review the case materials, and that courts are widely ordering them to pay large sums under fraudulent contracts. As a result, the victims have been denied access to their bank accounts.

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