A beauty queen has been stripped of her title - amid claims she went awol and damaged her gold and silver crown.
Miss Moscow 2018, Alesia Semerenko, is accused of refusing to take part in key events 'due to illness' - but then being seen on her social media sunbathing in the Maldives.
The economics student, 24, kept her crown at home against the rules and when it was returned 'the encrusted diamonds were falling off it', claimed the organisers.
The catwalk star denies the accusations against her and claims she is the victim of a vendetta and campaign of 'lies' because she caused an upset in winning the prestigious Russian beauty pageant title three months ago.
Miss Moscow 2018, Alesia Semerenko, is accused of refusing to take part in key events 'due to illness' - but then being seen on her social media sunbathing in the Maldives
The beauty queen had taken several holidays and when she was expected to attend an event with Russian military paratroopers she was seen on a beach in the Maldives (pictured)
The Miss Moscow title is seen as prestigious and a previous winner last year wed the then king of Malaysia, Semerenko is pictured at the 2018 final
A source from the contest Alesia 'must be distressed at having to give away her crown to her nearest competitor - runner-up Ksenia Palenova - but this is what is happening now.'
The source claimed it was impossible to contact Alesia to undertake engagements to which she was committed after winning the title.
Pageant producer Svetlana Yagovitskaya complained that the beauty queen was repeatedly ill 'but in her Instagram she is having an intense social life'.
She said: 'She fell ill once then again and again. It was going on for several months.
'When managers went to see her at home, they found that the crown was broken and bent in several places.
'It was not clear what exactly Alesia was doing with it - but the crown looked shabby.'
She had taken several holidays and when she was expected
