Model Maria Kovalchuk speaks out after struggling damaged backbone and legs in Dubai ‘assault’
The former adult mode, 21, claims she was beaten and left for dead on a Dubai roadside before being rushed to hospital and admitted under a false identity
Maria Kovalchuk now lives in Norway(Image: INSTAGRAM/mariia.kovalchuuk)
The Ukrainian model who was found unconscious on a Dubai roadside with a broken spine and legs has spoken out about how “dark” the Middle Eastern city can be. Maria Kovalchuk vanished for 10 days after travelling to the UAE in March last year.
The first reports on the incident suggested the 21-year-old had attended an infamous “porta potty party” – where super wealthy elites pay huge sums to carry out twisted acts on young models – before falling off a construction site. However, after recovering from an induced coma, Maria claimed she had been beaten by rich Russian and Belarusian men before being left for dead.
The former adult model, who now lives in Norway working as a make-up artist, claims she was admitted to hospital under a false identity. She told the Daily Mail: “Although they had my passport, they checked me in under a false identity.
“I was lying there under a different name, diagnosed with some kind of intestinal infection or something. They had me down as a 37-year-old.”
Maria said her family could not find her. “My mother searched for me for a very long time, but nobody knew where I was.
“In the end, a friend’s wife, who lives in Dubai, got involved and managed to find me. They identified me by a tattoo on my finger.”
After the life changing ordeal, Maria says she will never step foot in the UAE again. “I will never go back to Dubai. It is a very dark place,” she said.
It had been reported that her injuries were consistent with “falling from a height” but a neurosurgeon has since said that it was more likely that she had been beaten up.
After flying to Norway with her mum for treatment, the young woman posted a number of photos showing her finally walking after 10 months of recuperation. She shared a moving glimpse into her recovery, posting a feel-good clip from the Nordic country.
She was seen strolling across a snow-covered bridge beaming at the camera as winter scenery stretches out behind her. Other moments in the video show Maria pushing on with her rehab, practising yoga and stretching it out with her trainer.
Opening up to her 42,000 followers, Maria admitted the journey hasn’t always been easy and revealed how she felt at the very start of her treatment, saying she felt like “a broken doll”.
