A Ukrainian model who was found dumped by the side of a road in Dubai after having gone missing from a party had ‘fallen from a height’, police have claimed.
Maria Kovalchuk, 20, had been missing for eight days after telling friends she had been invited to a party at a hotel on March 9.
An investigation has revealed that she sustained ‘serious injuries’ after she entered a ‘restricted construction site alone’ and fell from an undisclosed height, officials say.
She is currently hospitalised and receiving medical care. She remains in a critical condition and is reportedly unable to speak. Her family is understood to be with her.
Kovalchuk disappeared after she was set attend a party with ‘two men who introduced themselves as representatives of the modelling business,’ according to several Ukrainian media reports.
She told her mother Anna that she would be staying with these representatives for the night, but she subsequently vanished.
Kovalchuk had booked a flight to Thailand that departed Dubai on March 11, but did not turn up at the airport.
The investigation into her death remains ongoing. Police are working with her family and the relevant authorities on the case.
Maria Kovalchuk, 20, had been missing for eight days after telling friends she had been invited to a party at a hotel on March 9
An investigation has revealed that she sustained ‘serious injuries’ after she entered a ‘restricted construction site alone’ and fell from an undisclosed height, Dubai police say
Anna and Kovalchuk’s concerned friends contacted Dubai police after the model missed her flight.
Local authorities launched a search for Kovalchuk and opened an investigation, but she remained missing for several days.
On March 19, ten days after she first went missing, Kovalchuk’s battered and bloodied body was found dumped at a roadside with her limbs and spine broken, according to Russian outlets Shot and Life.
She was rushed to hospital, and according to her mother underwent three surgeries to save her life, before later receiving a fourth procedure.
Investigators revealed today that Kovalchuk sustained her injuries after falling from an unspecified height.
‘Dubai Police confirm that the Ukrainian citizen previously reported missing is currently hospitalised, receiving medical care with her family present,’ the force said in a statement, according to The Mirror.
‘A comprehensive investigation has revealed that she sustained serious injuries after entering a restricted construction site alone and falling from a height. Dubai Police continue to work closely with the family and relevant authorities to provide all necessary assistance.
‘The public and media are urged to refrain from sharing unverified information and to respect the privacy of the individual and her family during this challenging time.’
Friends and family hope she is able to make a full recovery to talk about her ordeal and explain what happened.
Kovalchuk is currently hospitalised and receiving medical care. She remains in a critical condition and is reportedly unable to speak. Her family is understood to be with her
Speaking to Ukrainian media earlier this week, Anna said: ‘There is an assumption that she went to a party. But the promoter who organised these parties did not see her.
‘Today Masha was found in the hospital in serious condition.
‘She has no documents, no phone, nothing. She has undergone three operations. And she cannot speak.
Kovalchuk’s friend, Russian model Angelina Doroshenkova, 31, said: ‘We all hope for the best and are very grateful to everyone who took part in the search and helped with information.’
She was spending time with Kovalchuk in Dubai and was reportedly invited to the same party on March 9, but ultimately decided to return to Russia days before.
Kovalchuk, from the city of Lviv in Western Ukraine, is also a known anti-war activist, and had participated in an event expressing solidarity with jailed Russian sociologist Boris Kagarlitsky.
Kagarlitksy was recently slapped with a five-year prison sentence on trumped-up charges of ‘justifying terrorism’.
He had described a Ukrainian operation to sabotage the £3billion Crimean Bridge linking the peninsula with mainland Russia as understandable ‘from a military point of view’.
