Escaping Justice or a Tragic End: The Fate of the Missing Bolshoi Theatre Ballerina

In 2014, Olga Demina, a talented ballerina from the Bolshoi Theatre, disappeared mysteriously. Her family and friends spent almost a year pushing authorities to recognize her as deceased and open a criminal case.

At just 25 years old, Olga appeared to have a perfect life: a gifted performer gracing the Bolshoi stage, working as a choreographer, beloved by many, and even contemplating marriage. Everything changed when she met 37-year-old Malhaz Javoev, originally from Georgia. After that, she increasingly found herself in troubling and strange situations before eventually vanishing.

According to reports by the publication "Komsomolskaya Pravda," it took investigators a full year to piece together the complex details of this puzzling case, initiate criminal proceedings, and identify the perpetrator.

The Meeting

Early in the investigation, a close friend of Olga relayed to the authorities the story of how Olga and Malhaz met, based on Olga’s own account. Allegedly, they met in 2012 through Malhaz’s sister Bella, a home-based stylist and makeup artist. Thanks to Bella, Olga became close to the Javoev family.

However, the friend insisted that there was no romantic involvement between Olga and Malhaz since he was much older, not her type, and had even married that same year. Olga had even helped Malhaz’s wife during her pregnancy.

Investigators later established that Olga and Malhaz actually met at a party and developed a close relationship, providing favors to each other. Malhaz’s wife was reportedly aware of their connection but took no action until after the birth of their second child, when she filed for divorce. Olga’s family warned her to end the association with Malhaz, suspecting him to be dangerous, but she refused.

Blackmail

In 2013, Olga faced her first mysterious ordeal. An anonymous individual sent her intimate photos and began blackmailing her. Terrified that these images would become public, Olga took out loans and paid the extortionist approximately $11,000. Despite this, the photos and her phone number soon appeared on websites advertising escort services, and she was harassed by clients.

Olga’s loved ones, unaware of how these photos were taken, suspected Malhaz was behind the blackmail, but Olga refused to believe it.

She revered Malhaz almost as a savior, believing he had twice saved her from suicide. However, the investigation uncovered that Malhaz secretly ran a business in Moscow supplying beautiful ballerinas to wealthy parties. Could Olga’s family have been mistaken about him?

After the blackmail incident, Olga blindly followed Malhaz wherever he led.

The Scam

Soon, Malhaz and Olga plotted a scheme to get rich. Olga learned that her longtime suitor Alexander planned to sell his inherited three-room apartment in Moscow to buy three smaller ones for himself and his siblings. Alexander had long hoped Olga would marry him. Learning this from Olga, Malhaz convinced her to deceive Alexander and seize his property. Olga told Alexander she was ready to marry him, and the couple filed a marriage application.

Olga then told Alexander that her parents needed financial help and persuaded him to register the new apartment in her name so she could secure a loan for their medical treatments.

Alexander later confessed to investigators that Olga was supposed to transfer the apartment, valued at over $54,000, to him as part of their arrangement, but she never did. Olga broke off the engagement and began blackmailing Alexander with compromising videos. Neither his declarations of love nor police intervention helped him.

Alexander’s attempts to reclaim the apartment failed.

In spring 2014, Malhaz persuaded Olga to carry out a fake transaction selling the apartment. Olga, trusting Malhaz blindly, 'sold' the property to him for nearly $40,000. Malhaz then genuinely sold the apartment to an ordinary buyer, pocketing the money and refusing to share it with Olga.

After the scam, Olga seemed to cover her tracks: she moved out of her rented apartment, sold her car, and deleted all personal information from social media, leaving friends bewildered. Soon after, she disappeared entirely.

The Mysterious Trip to Voronezh

Before her disappearance, investigators found that Malhaz and Olga traveled to Voronezh, where Olga was allegedly supposed to perform for a wealthy stranger’s birthday. Interestingly, Malhaz admitted to investigators that he considered Olga a woman of loose morals and harbored resentment toward her, though her relatives believe he aimed to discredit her.

Returning from Voronezh one August night, the couple headed to Olga's rented apartment. Shortly after, Olga’s mother received a strange text message: "Mom, this is Olya. I stole a large sum of money. I can’t come back to Moscow. I’ll be traveling Europe for about 10 days. Don’t answer calls or search for me if someone contacts you."

Olga never contacted her family again.

Her family believed she was murdered and sought the truth, but law enforcement struggled due to the absence of a body. Only in autumn 2015, a year after Olga’s disappearance, was a criminal case opened. Investigators suspected Malhaz of murder, but he had fled Russia. He was later tracked to Germany, where he posed as a refugee before being extradited back to Russia.

Investigators believe that on the night after their Voronezh trip, Malhaz killed Olga and hid her body. Traces of a brown substance found in the rental car they used were genetically linked to Olga. The suspicious text message to Olga’s mother was sent by Malhaz.

In autumn 2020, Olga’s mother revealed to journalists that police were exploring a new theory: a few days before Olga’s disappearance, Malhaz purchased sulfuric acid from a hardware store.

Photos: Getty Images, lizaalert.org

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