Frontline Sex, Moscow Prices

Women from Moscow and other Russian cities have flocked to the occupied territories of Ukraine to satisfy the demand for sex workers among soldiers in Russia's ongoing War on Ukraine. Independent outlet Verstka investigated how the sex workers earn an average of R500,000 to R1.5 million ($5,000 to $15,500) a month at the frontlines.

Maryana, a 25-year-old sex worker from Russia, traded Moscow, Sochi, and Krasnaya Polyana for the trenches in Ukraine. A pimp she knew was mobilized to fight in the fall of 2022. Then she received a call from him with an offer: "There are a lot of young men here, the majority of girls over 18 have left, and the soldiers need female attention and care." Maryana and four other girls got on a bus in Lugansk to "visit their husbands" and never looked back.

Working in trenches, saunas, and checkpoints, sex workers make R15,000 ($150) an hour for various sexual acts. Verstka estimates that, by the fall of 2024, 300 women were working in the occupied territories. A hundred women are believed to be working in brothels, while the rest are said to be operating individually.

Maryana said she was initially scared to work in a war zone. But when she saw she was making over a million rubles a month, she thought, "Maybe they are not bombing like that here." Most sex workers rotate their "offices" between frontline sites like Mariupol, Lugansk, Donetsk, Berdyansk and Melitopol.

Clients usually look for women on Telegram through "dating groups" such as "Dating/DNR Chat" and "Dating Donetsk DNR Girls." Channels also publicize ads from sex workers and agencies. Some women use their own channels to offer services and publish reviews. Word of mouth is also a major source of business. An unnamed Russian soldier told Verstka that older married men in the army usually have "a dozen ready and verified numbers of local nymphets." Clients told Verstka they often pay in cash, as the sex services cost nearly as much as transfer limits.

Ninety-nine percent of "Johns" in the occupied territories are Russian soldiers. Civilians there can't afford the "Moscow-level" prices the workers charge: one night with a sex worker usually costs between R70,000 to R120,000 ($722 to $1200). "Extras," such as stripteases, massages, use of sex toys, and kisses range from R2,000 to R10,000 ($72 to $103).

But military men don't just hire women for sex work. Often, men will pay just to talk to the women, especially about their guilt. Some clients feel guilty about cheating. Maryana told Verstka that "almost all the stories are about men they didn't save, but could have, didn't bandage them, didn't crawl up to them." Many regret being in the war: "90 percent of my clients have feelings of regret. They all went for the money and didn't think that they would have to do the dirty work," Maryana said.

And violence doesn't stay in the frontlines. Karina, another sex worker who spoke to Verstka, said most men who request her services are injured and often become dependent on alcohol and drugs. These make the soldiers act violently with the women, because they think they are being attacked. Karina said she has many friends who have been beaten and raped on the job. Women often think they are meeting with one man and end up finding five when they arrive. Karina's friends told her, "He can be good at first, and say 'You are my sweet girl,' try to kiss you, and half an hour later you are passed out and don't understand what is happening."

Pimps have warned sex workers not to discuss politics with clients. Nadezhda, another sex worker, has felt the barrel of a gun against her head after making political arguments. Another woman told Verstka how her friend was shaved bald because of her "long tongue." There are also rumors of a woman who was thrown off the fifth floor of a building. Another was allegedly buried alive. Rumors of a dungeon with female prisoners being drugged and raped is enough to keep sex workers on their toes.