Masha Drokova

Nashi

Maria Drokova, called Masha, was described by The Christian Science Monitor on February 26, 2008 as an 18-year-old "commissar" of the pro-Kremlin youth movement Nashi, speaking "excellent English." She told the paper, "My grandfather was a state official, my father was a state official; I want to be useful for my state," and gave Nashi's ideology as "freedom and justice." The same article reported that Nashi claimed about 100,000 members and counted the state-owned company Gazprom among its donors; Andrei Zolotov of Russia Profile said Nashi was "organized by people whose only religion is success and mimicry."¹

The Moscow Times reported on March 13, 2017 that she led the group's Moscow regional branch, that Vladimir Putin honored her "for service to the fatherland" in 2008, and that she kissed him on the cheek at a youth festival in 2009 (the photograph that gave the 2012 documentary "Putin's Kiss" its title). The same report states that the 2010 beating of the journalist Oleg Kashin, which many at the time attributed to Nashi activists, shook her faith in the group; Kashin appears in the 2012 Danish documentary about her.² Her own account in February 2026 was that she "saw Putin's corruption and evil up close" by her late teens.³

Move to the United States

On March 12, 2017 she posted from San Francisco that she had received a United States green card ("The most beautiful green I've ever seen"), thanking her immigration lawyer.² The Epstein correspondence begins thirteen days later (below). Forbes reported in February 2026 that she has said she gave up Russian citizenship after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.⁴

Day One Ventures

Day One Ventures Fund I, L.P. (CIK 1727427) filed its first Form D on January 16, 2018 (signed January 12, 2018) as "Mariia Drokova, Managing Member of the General Partner of the Issuer"; it reports a first sale on December 25, 2017, $11,807,200 sold and 8 investors, under Rules 506(b) and Section 3(c)(7). Amendments reported $13,458,213 sold to 12 investors (October 30, 2018) and $19,182,213 to 25 investors (October 29, 2019).⁵

Day One Ventures Fund II, L.P. (a Cayman Islands issuer) filed a Form D on November 24, 2020, reporting a first sale on October 22, 2020, $52,550,000 sold and 33 investors. Fund III (Texas) filed a Form D on February 16, 2024 naming "Mariia Bucher" as managing member of its general partner with the first sale yet to occur, and a D/A on April 16, 2025 reporting a first sale of February 26, 2024, $7,443,000 and 23 investors.⁵ TechCrunch reported on February 10, 2026 that Day One closed a $150 million third fund in 2024, for $450 million in total assets under management; Forbes reported that Day One credits itself with early backing of xAI, World and Valar Atomics, and gave its founding as 2018 with a $20 million seed fund.³⁴ Day One Ventures Management LLC is an active exempt reporting adviser (SEC file 802-118147), San Francisco, with no disclosures flagged on the IAPD record.⁶

A 2018 announcement of a $2.6 million seed round for the startup Invisible, preserved in the Epstein Library, lists Backed Ventures, Loup Ventures, Horizons Alpha and Day One Ventures as investors.⁷ The Forbes 30 Under 30 list for 2019 named her in venture capital, according to the Deutsche Bank presentation quoted below. TechCrunch notes that the Epstein files carry her primarily under the name Drokova; later filings and press use Bucher.³

Correspondence with Jeffrey Epstein, 2017

The first document in the Jeffrey Epstein Library mentioning her is dated March 25, 2017: a sender whose name is redacted wrote to Epstein, "Would you like to be connected to Masha Drokova?" and later "Masha Drokova doesn't want to be assistant. She made her first million at age of 20, now she just invests in companies and creates her own VC, collected abt 10 MLn USD since 6 months." On April 5, 2017 the same writer asked whether to schedule her for Wednesday or Thursday; Epstein replied "yes for masha."⁸ A schedule kept by Lesley Groff lists "1:00pm Appt w/Masha Drokova" on May 18, 2017, and on May 23 Drokova wrote, "Thank you for the interesting meeting last week. You are fun."⁹

In the same May 23 message she told Epstein that he needed "a media who's be able to write about researches you're supporting" and recommended the site Futurism, "25M unique good quality audience per month," naming its founder Alex Klokus by LinkedIn link.⁹ Between May 27 and June 7, 2017 she wrote to him, "I think you need to talk to the audience directly. Media is an outdated dying resource," listing options that began with a "leak" to a top newspaper on how much he spent donating to science, an exclusive interview and a documentary; Epstein answered "good first draft" and "I like your plan for media, how to operationalize."¹⁰ On July 21, 2017 Epstein wrote to a scientist, copying her, "masha is helpiing me with PR, I told her she might want to speak to you."¹⁰

On August 24, 2017 she wrote that a news site was "almost done with their article" and needed answers to use as his quotes; the article's title, as linked, was "Private Donor Helps Fund Scientists After Trump's Proposed 'Anti-Science' Budget Cuts." She added, "it's just a start. we'll do more and push them up to the top in google search." Epstein replied, "good work. thx."¹¹ On September 4 she reported that the article's author had received warnings from the site asking for its removal; on September 5 the thread is titled "Fixed. The article is back."¹¹

Between September 8 and October 6, 2017 the documents record her arranging or proposing interviews and contacts for Epstein with reporters at several outlets, among them a Futurism editor interview set for September 18 at 1:30 p.m. ("His name is Alex Klokus," she told Groff that morning), a Nature correspondent, and two business and technology reporters, one of whom met him on September 28.⁹¹² On October 11 Epstein wrote of one resulting article that it "was good not great."¹²

Message of September 24, 2017

In an email thread of Sunday, September 24, 2017, Epstein asked "where are you?" and Drokova answered "In Moscow." Later that day she wrote to Epstein, "btw, do you know any adequate Russian oligarchs?" Epstein replied, "adequate? len blavatni[k]" (the last letter is cut off in the copy). Drokova's next message in the thread reads: "I've heard good things about him too. could you connect me with him? I'm looking for right investors for my fund. adequate Russians with Western mentality is the easiest target. if smart American introduce one Russian to another Russian, the first one will pay double attention :) meeting Len through Russian friends would be that helpful." The copies preserve the thread; no document read records whether an introduction to Len Blavatnik followed.¹³

The September 30, 2017 instruction

On Saturday, September 30, 2017 Epstein wrote to Richard Kahn and Drokova: "rich send masha 25k, masha feel free to give some to" a third party (name omitted here). Drokova replied the same morning, "It's not needed, really," and wrote that she had her own ways to support the third party. She added, "Please don't worry about m[e] helping with reporters. It is interesting and I enjoy it. Learning from yo[u] is worth much more." Epstein answered that he appreciated it and wanted the third party not to know the source; Drokova wrote that she would give the third party an amount of her own money "without a need to lie that it's not from you." On October 4, 2017 Kahn wrote to Epstein, "reminder we still do not have her banking info please advise." No later document read shows whether the 25k was sent.¹⁴ Through a spokesperson in February 2026 she said she never provided bank details to Epstein's accountant; she has also said she was not paid for her work for Epstein.³

Bryan Johnson, October 2017

On October 2, 2017 Drokova forwarded to Epstein a "Note from Alex (Futurism founder)": "I was sitting with Bryan Johnson today, who was telling me about everything he's working on at Kernel ... I feel like they would mutually [benefit] from a conversation, if Jeffrey was interested!" Epstein replied, "always interested."¹⁵ Klokus, as Futurism's chief executive, wrote that evening to Bryan Johnson and Drokova that he had "spoken with Masha about the potential value of him and Jeffrey chatting. Masha has spoken with Jeffrey," and "@Masha: I'll let you take it from here." Klokus is not on any Epstein recipient line in the library.¹⁵ Epstein, in Florida, proposed a call; a Zoom meeting was scheduled for October 6, moved from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. at Epstein's request and then delayed to 5:15 p.m. by Groff. Drokova wrote at 5:14 p.m., as quoted in a later message, "I managed to free up earlier and join Jeffrey and Bryan too." No document records the call's occurrence, length or content, and no later Johnson correspondence with Epstein about it or a payment was found.¹⁵

Palm Beach, December 2017

On December 25, 2017 Epstein wrote: "plese coordinate with masha and her friend to visit and stay in palm beach we pay all," adding "Breakers or four seasons." Drokova answered, "book 4seasons." A Four Seasons Resort Palm Beach invoice (no. 359665) lists the guest as "Ms. Maria Drokova," arrival December 25 and departure December 27, 2017, balance due $0.00.¹⁶ On December 29 an assistant to Epstein wrote that the "total for reimbursement is 7027.48" and that the check would be mailed. A Deutsche Bank Trust Company Americas check no. 1146, dated December 29, 2017, drawn on the account of Jeffrey Epstein, payable to "Mariia Drokova" for $7,027.48 (printed with asterisk fill) with the memo "PB Expense reimbursement," is in the library.¹⁶ On April 13, 2018 an assistant wrote that Drokova "did not cash her reimbursement check 1146 issued no 12/29/17 in the amount of 7,027.48"; Kahn answered on April 16, "if you have not already reached out then don't chase her.. if reached out and no response please just let it be."¹⁶

Introductions, 2018 and 2019

The Library records Drokova introducing Epstein, by email, to a number of founders, investors, researchers and reporters between October 2017 and June 2019, usually with the line "Please meet each other" and followed by scheduling mail from Groff; the individuals are not named on this page. She wrote on February 8, 2018 of a portfolio founder, "One of my favorite portfolio founders ... is in New York next week."⁷¹⁷ Among the other correspondence, Epstein introduced her to scientists and technologists, one of whom she then contacted about a Day One investment, writing, "I run Day One Ventures fund and based in San Francisco."¹⁷ On May 12, 2018 she wrote that her "fund is growing in all meanings, portfolio almost doubled in valuation over the last four months," and on May 16, 2019 (Skype log), "I would never create my fund without the ideas and knowledge you shared with me and I do much love my work."¹⁷

On December 23, 2018 Epstein wrote, "re your ten woman swat team make a list of 20 candiddates. plus 10 smartest guys. lets begin." On December 24 Drokova replied with a list of named professionals, women and men, each with an occupation, and a set of five shared qualities ("Smart," "Ambitious," "Learning fast," "High level of energy," "Trust their instincts"). Epstein wrote on December 27, "lets test your list. . get everyone sskype or video contact. I will spend 10 minutes with each , both men and women." Over the following days she sent individual introduction emails to Epstein and persons on the list, and on December 31 wrote, "Tell me honestly what you think of everyone you met so I can better curate the rest of list." The names on the list are omitted from this page.¹⁸

Deutsche Bank presentation, September 12, 2019

Page 39 of a Deutsche Bank presentation to the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York dated September 12, 2019 (marked as pursuant to Fed. R. Crim. P. 6(e)) contains a row with recipient "Maria Drokova," date 12/29/2017, amount "$7,027," column "C," account name "Jeffrey Epstein." The bank's text on the page states: "Maria 'Masha' Drokova is the Founder and General partner of a venture capital firm called Day One Ventures. She was recently named to Forbes' 2019 30 Under 30 for Venture Capital. She has garnered attention because she previously led a Russian patriotic youth movement called Nashi, which has been implicated in harassing people critical of President Putin's regime."¹⁹

FBI report, October 2020

An FD-1023 report of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (Los Angeles; contact October 16, 2020; report date October 19, 2020) records a confidential human source (CHS) stating that Drokova "is based in Silicon Valley," runs Day One Ventures, and "used to be Russian President Vladimir Putin's main contact in the Russian Youth movement." The source said that when they spoke Drokova "did not talk at all about technology; instead, she looked at CHS and said, 'You knew Epstein, didn't you.'" and called Epstein a "wonderful man" for whom it was "a crying shame what had being done to him." The source concluded that "Day One Ventures was in Silicon Valley to steal technology." The conclusion is the source's; the document contains no corroboration.²⁰

Public statements

After the February 2026 release, Drokova (publishing as Masha Bucher) posted on X that she first connected with Epstein while looking for protection from the Russian government: "He made me feel I could be safe from the regime, someone with power and connections who could shield me from those threats." She wrote, "I was naive; I didn't dig deep enough early on," said she believed his account of his 2008 plea (that "a girl had lied about her age"), apologized "to my founders, team, and investors" and wrote, "I now see clearly how profoundly dark and evil he was." She said she introduced Epstein to four journalists, never visited his island, and was not paid for her work, and that she has given up her Russian passport and met with some of Epstein's victims.³ A Russian journalist disputed her account that she and her family were at risk.⁴ Asked earlier by The Washington Post (2022) about an email that touted Russian oligarch connections, she denied writing it and said, "I'm not a spy, even though that sounds romantic."³