Russian creators are shafted by OnlyFans. The platform announced Thursday that it will no longer serve Russian creators, due to the ongoing Russian war against Ukraine.
The site, primarily used and popularized by adult content creators, issued a statement explaining the change, citing the "tightening of payment restrictions" to and from Russia amidst conflict as the main factor in its decision.
“OnlyFans is a creator first business. Over the past few months we have explored several options to continue providing our services to creators impacted by the Russia / Ukraine war,” representatives of the platform shared in a statement via Motherboard. “However due to a further tightening of payment restrictions to and from Russia, OnlyFans can no longer properly serve our Russian creator community. As a result, we are taking steps to temporarily pause accounts where payments are received in Russia. We have asked impacted creators to contact support@onlyfans.com who can help address any queries regarding their accounts."
This is not the first time Russian creators have been shut out of the platform. In February, just as Russia began invading Ukraine, OnlyFans blocked creators based in Russia from receiving payment. Upon logging in, they found an OnlyFans support message reading “Please be informed that your country is not supported for payouts, therefore we are unable to assist you regarding that matter at this time,” as reported by Rolling Stone.
The issue was momentarily solved, however, with OnlyFans reinstating Russian accounts and issuing an explanation that “After experiencing financial restrictions we have been able to restore account activity for creators in all countries,” a spokesperson shared with VICE, following the February ban. “Their accounts will have full functionalities as long as we continue to have payment methods to support them. We were not terminating or suspending any creator accounts based on the creator’s location, and we are doing everything we can to support our community.”
But the remedy was short-lived, and OnlyFan has pivoted again, seemingly unable to find proper payment methods.
But this continuous back and forth has cost some Russian creators their livelihood, even those who used their platform to protest the invasion of Ukraine. Protest pornstars Bisexcouplefamilyfree shared with VICE that they lost a significant amount of time and money because of the ban. “We have been working on this platform for a year, and now we have to start all over again,” they shared. “It is a pity that all Russians are now perceived as enemies. But not everyone supports the war. And many continue to express their position, despite the fact that it is dangerous in Russia.”
It’s unclear how long Russian payments will be paused for, so, in the meantime, you’ll have to find other ways to serve and be serviced by your favorite Russian sex workers.
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