Broken spine Model found seriously injured - is there a cruel shadow world behind it?

A Ukrainian model is found with a broken spine and serious injuries. Was it an accident - or a heinous crime?

A scandal surrounding so-called "Porta Potty" parties is currently rocking Dubai - and bringing the dark underbelly of the local influencer scene into focus. It involves meetings at which young women are paid for sometimes abhorrent sexual acts with wealthy men. At the center of the current case is 20-year-old Ukrainian erotic actress Maria Kovalchuk, who was found with serious injuries after attending one such party - her spine was broken, as were several bones.

As reported by the Daily Star and other local media, Kovalchuk had traveled to Dubai, allegedly at the invitation of two men posing as modeling agents. After a party in a hotel, she disappeared without a trace and her parents reported her missing a short time later.

Ten days later, on March 19, her body was discovered on a street - badly injured, unconscious, with no identification papers or telephone. According to the police in Dubai, she is said to have "reached a cordoned-off construction site alone" and "fell from a great height". She is in a critical condition in hospital, according to the official statement.

Disturbing videos are circulating

However, the background to her disappearance raises questions. Human rights organizations and lawyers suspect a connection with so-called "Porta Potty" parties - a disturbing trend in which young women take part in meetings with the super-rich for large sums of money, where they allegedly have to endure sometimes abhorrent sexual practices. The sums involved range from 30,000 to over 100,000 dollars, depending on the women's appearance and online reach.

The term "Porta Potty" first became public after a disturbing video circulated of a Nigerian schoolgirl who apparently took part in such a meeting with rich men from Dubai under duress. Since then, reports and videos have repeatedly surfaced online in which women tell of violence, humiliation and coercion - or, in worse cases like Kovalchuk, are found seriously injured.

"Evidence that she was at a party"

Lawyer Katya Gordon told local media: "Maria Kovalchuk was found dying on the side of the road in the United Arab Emirates - after a party with Arab sheikhs."

Radha Stirling, founder of the organization Detained in Dubai, also warns: "Sex outside of marriage has been legalized in Dubai, but this creates new dangers. If a married man is involved in these parties, the women can be prosecuted for adultery." She emphasizes that female influencers are often lured into these parties - sometimes with false promises, sometimes under pressure.

Maria Kovalchuk's mother told Ukrainian media: "There is evidence that she was at a party. But the organizer who arranges these parties has not seen her. Today she was admitted to hospital in a critical condition - without papers, without a cell phone. She's already had three operations and can't speak."