According to different estimates, there are between one and three million sex workers in Russia today. Compared to two decades ago, the industry also has a new look. Most prostitutes have moved indoors, finding their clients online instead of on street corners. The women are generally older (in St. Petersburg, the average age is 32), and a whopping 90 percent are mothers. Prostitution remains illegal, however, which exposes this labor force to additional violence, disease, and corruption.
Meduza: The lives of Russia’s sex workers today
A picture taken on Jan. 20, 2017 shows Russian prostitutes resting in the kitchen of an illegal brothel in Saint Petersburg.
