Biography of Valeriya Chekalina (Lerchek)
Valeria Chekalina (stage name Lerchek, born 6 October 1992, Togliatti) is a Russian blogger, fitness trainer and entrepreneur, and one of the most successful and controversial figures on the Russian internet in the 2020s. She grew up in an ordinary family, graduated from school with a gold medal, and obtained two first-class honours degrees from Moscow State University (the Higher School of Business and the Faculty of Economics). She started a blog in 2011, but her real rise to fame came between 2019 and 2021: weight-loss marathons, fitness and nutrition courses, and sales of clothing and cosmetics earned her millions of roubles and over 10 million followers on Instagram (@ler_chek). In 2023, she and her ex-husband Artem Chekalin were accused of transferring over 311 million roubles abroad and evading taxes. In October 2024, Valeria was placed under house arrest. In November 2025, it emerged that she was pregnant by dance coach Luis Squicciarini (the baby was due in March 2026). In February 2026, the court adjourned the hearing due to a deterioration in her health (she lost feeling in her leg and an ambulance was called). Her Instagram page is managed by her mother, Elvira – Valeria has been denied access to the internet. Despite her arrest, the Lerchek brand continues to operate. Valeria is an example of how an ordinary girl can become a blogging millionaire, but also of how quickly popularity can turn into a criminal case.
