Epstein Helping Russia From Beyond the Grave? Inside the Kompromat Theory

Journalist James Rodgers argues that the scandal surrounding Jeffrey Epstein bears striking similarities to tactics long used by Russian intelligence services, particularly under President Vladimir Putin’s leadership. Drawing on his experiences reporting from Russia and Chechnya, Rodgers said the Epstein files may ultimately serve the Kremlin’s interests — regardless of whether Epstein had direct links to Russian intelligence.

Rodgers remembers reporting from the Chechen war zone in March 2000, the same week Putin was first elected president. At the time, the Kremlin was angered by international coverage of civilian deaths, and restrictions on journalists had tightened significantly. Reporters were closely monitored, their movements controlled and seemingly benign encounters were carefully staged.

During one similar trip, foreign journalists were offered wine at a winery stop while a Russian photographer raised his camera. Rodgers declined the drink, suspecting the scene was designed to imply journalists were unprofessional or intoxicated, thereby undermining their credibility. Elsewhere, reporters were guided through a village cemetery, where a conveniently placed local woman delivered a pointed anti-Chechen remark in fluent English. Rodgers said the message appeared scripted.

These experiences resurfaced resurfaced when photographs from the Epstein files began circulating. Rodgers questioned how prominent, media-savvy figures could have failed to notice they were being photographed in compromising settings. He said they have been deliberately put at ease — a classic intelligence tactic designed to gather "kompromat", or compromising material, for future leverage.

Rodgers suggested that such methods have long been used against critics of the Kremlin. Liberal journalists in Russia were secretly filmed in compromising situations. The resulting material served both to discredit them publicly and to warn others that they were under surveillance.

While no conclusive evidence has emerged proving Epstein worked for Russian intelligence, the parallels are unsettling. The government of Poland has investigated whether the Epstein scandal was co-organized by Russian services, a claim the Kremlin has dismissed. Still, Rodgers said the fallout itself benefits Moscow.

The scandal allows Russian leaders to point to corruption and moral failure among Western elites, reinforcing a long-standing Kremlin narrative of Western hypocrisy. Former Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny once branded Russia’s ruling party “swindlers and thieves,” but the Epstein revelations, Rodgers suggests, can be used to argue that Western power structures are no better.

Whether orchestrated or opportunistic, Rodgers says, the Epstein files represent a propaganda victory for the Kremlin and a warning to the global elite about who may be watching and why.