In Russia, the creators of OnlyFans are now facing prison threats.

Russian authorities are intensifying their crackdown on women who distribute erotic or pornographic content on OnlyFans, Telegram, and other digital platforms. Long tolerated, this activity now exposes its creators to searches, seizure of their equipment, hefty fines, and sentences of up to several years in a penal colony. This development is based in particular on Article 242 of the Russian Criminal Code, which criminalizes the production and distribution of pornographic material.

Sofya Vershinina, known online as Sonya Marmeladova, appeared in a Moscow court on July 31. The 21-year-old allegedly earned over 30 million rubles, or approximately €350,000, from selling explicit content on a private Telegram channel. While the prosecution sought a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence, she was ultimately given a three-year suspended sentence, fined 4,8 million rubles, and banned from managing online platforms or appearing online for three years.

Department K, tasked with tracking private accounts

Other female creators are also facing criminal proceedings. Diana Shurygina, a Russian media personality who became active on OnlyFans and Telegram, was arrested after violating the terms of her house arrest by continuing to post online. Anastasia Ovsyannikova, known as Nastya Kholod, and the German videographer Ludwig Krichker have also been placed under house arrest. Authorities accuse them of jointly producing and distributing pornographic images, a circumstance that could lead to harsher sentences.

Surveillance is entrusted in particular to Department K, the Russian Interior Ministry's cybercrime unit. Its agents reportedly infiltrate paid Telegram groups and examine OnlyFans profiles to gather evidence. The strengthening of Article 242 after the start of the war in Ukraine now allows for the explicit targeting of content published online. When such content is produced or shared by multiple people, it can be classified as group dissemination and carry a sentence of between two and six years in prison. This crackdown is part of the Kremlin's policy of defending "traditional values," a strategy it has promoted for over a decade.