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OnlyFans has resumed service to content creators in Russia after briefly cutting off its payment system amid Russia military’s invasion of Ukraine. But many users in Russia who rely on the platform for an income are wary about continuing to use it and feel they have been unfairly targeted for a war they say they do not support.
One OnlyFans model, who goes by the name "Marie Bunnie," told Fox Business she fled her home in St. Petersburg after being unable to post new content on OnlyFans or withdraw money. She said she risked jail time for speaking out against the "Motherland."
This photo shows a phone app for OnlyFans, a site where fans pay creators for their photos and videos, Thursday Aug. 19, 2021. A spokesperson says the site will ban "sexually explicit" starting Oct. 1 after requests from banking partners. (AP Photo/Tali Arbel)
"OnlyFans froze (our) accounts without any official announcement … No notifications, no official statement. Nothing," Marie said, speaking from an undisclosed location.
Her comments came after international sanctions have thrown Russia’s economy into turmoil and left it more isolated than ever. The United States and European Union have levied sanctions on Russia's biggest banks and its elites, frozen the assets of the country's Central Bank located outside the country and excluded its financial institutions from the SWIFT bank messaging system.
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Marie told Fox Business that many girls in Russia and Belarus rely on OnlyFans because they have few other options for a decent salary. She and other OnlyFans users who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of their safety shared screenshots with Fox Business advising them that their accounts had been frozen.
A policeman looks at a young demonstrator who lost consciousness while being detained at an action against Russia's attack on Ukraine in St. Petersburg, Russia, Monday, Feb. 28, 2022. (AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)
One of these models said she was born in Ukraine but moved to Russia 10 years ago. She said her account had been frozen merely for having a Russian address.
OnlyFans appeared to resume working for these users by Tuesday. Still, many said they do not trust the platform and will be looking for alternatives to post content and withdraw money.
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"We didn’t want this war," Marie said, acknowledging that she risked jail time for speaking out. "Our government occupies all the power in our country. I was three years old when Vladimir Putin became president."
"I personally have friends in Ukraine and my heart is broken when I see their torture," she added. "Our boys, our Russian boys, little boys – 18 to 19-years-old – they go to Ukraine and they cry because they’re children. They’re still children and they (shouldn’t) fight for Vladimir Putin who forced them to do it for no reason."
Ukrainian servicemen are seen next to a destroyed armoured vehicle, which they said belongs to the Russian army, outside Kharkiv, Ukraine February 24, 2022. (REUTERS/Maksim Levin)
OnlyFans told Fox Business it was "disheartened by the recent tragic events in Ukraine."
"As a global business, OnlyFans stands by our creators and understands that they are not responsible for these heinous acts," the company said in a statement. "After experiencing financial restrictions we have been able to restore account activity for creators in all countries. 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."
Protests within Russia have rippled across the country in recent days while nearly 1 million people signed an online petition demanding an end to the war. Anti-war demonstrators in Russia have faced mass detentions while authorities have restricted access to social media and threatened to shut down independent news sites.
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Meanwhile, other companies like Netflix, DirecTV, Apple, and TikTok, among others, have severed ties or allowed limited access within Russia over its military aggression toward Ukraine.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.