Russia's erotic webcam streaming sites hit by Ukraine war

Webcam streaming sites are booming in Russia. Despite attempts by authorities to clamp down, the gray market for erotic online services has been growing for years.

The COVID-19 pandemic drove up demand for adult cam models, sometimes known as cam girls or boys, but since Russia's invasion of Ukraine business hasn't been so simple for the Russian models who do it. DW spoke with several of them, changing their name to protect their identity.

Cybersex pay 'simply not comparable' to office job

Models offer their streamed services on specialized platforms, where chatting is free in groups of two people or more and users can offer models payments to fulfill certain desires.

Private chats are also available, billed by the minute. Some clients only want to chat or flirt, while others are looking for virtual sex or to have certain kinks satisfied. Models said their main reason for doing the work is that it provides a stable, above-average income.

Webcam studios offer online calculator tools for those interested in modeling to work out how much they could potentially earn. The St. Petersburg-based studio Exotica, for example, promises a monthly income of 120,000 rubles (about €1,200/$1,270) for a 40-hour week.

A new model can earn the equivalent of about €20 on the first day of work, up to €75 with a basic knowledge of English and for those deemed attractive with high-quality video equipment and sex toys, as much as €200 a day.

The average monthly salary in Russia in the second quarter of this year was around €745, according to official statistics.

"I studied a sensible profession and got a lot of good job offers after graduation, but the pay was simply not comparable to the webcam business," Angelina, a cam girl, told DW.

However, competition has become much stiffer since the start of Russia's war on Ukraine in early 2022. Many more Russian women have signed up to the webcam platforms, partly because a lot of the Russians who have moved to neighboring countries due to the war haven't found work.

Webcam models hit by sanctions

The invasion of Ukraine has changed the lives of many Russians, and webcam models like Angelina are no exception.

When hostilities first broke out, foreign customers would insult her because of her country of origin. As a Russian citizen, she was also blocked from the popular UK-based erotic content platform OnlyFans, pushing down her income.

Now the young woman works on the platform Chaturbate, where she earns the equivalent of €2,100 on average each month, minus the fees for the platform. She usually works 17 days a month, for four hours each working day.

"My account on OnlyFans used to bring in about $300 a month. I also have a page on the Fansly platform, but there I rarely get as much as $100," explained Angelina.

Western economic sanctions imposed on Russia because of the war have also hit webcam models, who quickly had to find new platforms. As before, they get their income mostly in cryptocurrencies and through foreign payment systems, allowing them to circumvent Russian tax authorities.

Hate and vitriol for Russian cam girls and boys

Since the war broke out, many users in chats with Russia are on edge. They can tell from a model's accent and appearance that they are Russian. To avoid aggressive comments from clients, the models often claim to be streaming from Ukraine or Belarus.

In the first months of the conflict, some models even pretended to be Ukrainian to earn more. But the platforms quickly put an end to this, blocking their accounts.

Even those who openly oppose the war aren't spared insults. "In the first month of the war, I was confronted with a real wave of hate. Someone called me a Russian orc," she said. Many Ukrainians call Russian soldiers 'orcs,' an ugly and evil creature from the "Lord of the Rings" fantasy series. But Angelina said her regular customers stuck up for her.

Ekaterina, who streams on the platform LiveJasmin, also told DW of receiving hate comments. "I can't even keep up with blocking all the users who want to make me angry and hurt me just because I'm Russian. On these websites, you can ban certain words so they don't show up in chat, but it's only the models who can't see them." Arguing about politics in online chat scares off customers, she said, costing her traffic and revenue.

But webcam model Oleg said aggressive behavior toward Russians has now decreased significantly. "There were only insults at the beginning of the war, but now no one cares anymore. It's clear to many that it's not ordinary Russians who are to blame, but the Russian leadership," said Oleg.

The only platform that stopped working with Russian citizens was OnlyFans, because it was difficult to transfer money to Russia. The other platforms, none of which have responded to DW's inquiries, are still available to models in Russia. However, the models have to use a virtual private network to mask their location.

Erotic streams normally unpunished — except for queer people

The adult webcam industry isn't covered by Russian law, so there is no direct ban. However, people can be prosecuted in Russia under Article 242 of the Criminal Code for showing and advertising pornographic material, according to Russian lawyer Andrei Popov.

Prison sentences of two to five years may be imposed in such cases, said Popov. If several people collude to commit the crime, the maximum penalty climbs to six years.

But cam models are more or less left in peace, he told DW. Authorities tend to go after administrators and owners of webcam studios, though even these people are rarely handed hefty sentences. "If a person has no previous convictions and admits their guilt, they normally end up getting a suspended sentence," Popov explained.

Only same-sex partner streams can lead to actual punishments, said Popov. These count as "propaganda for nontraditional relationships" and can lead to hefty fines, the equivalent of €1,000 to €2,000.

To minimize the risk of conviction and earn more, some models avoid working from webcam studios and sign up independently on platforms.

The studios don't seem in a hurry to stop them, despite increased attention from authorities. Admins often send out job offers via instant messengers and social networks.

On HH.ru, the largest Russian recruitment platform, it's possible to find several companies in various Russian cities using the search term "model," secretly inviting young women and men to interview in front of a webcam. Their pitch? High earnings and a flexible schedule.

This article was originally written in Russian.