OnlyFans will no longer pay and platform Russian adult content creators on its platform due to the ongoing Russian war with Ukraine, the company confirmed Thursday.
“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,” the company said in a statement provided to Vice’s Motherboard.
“However due to a further tightening of payment restrictions to and from Russia, OnlyFans can no longer properly serve our Russian creator community,” the statement continued. (EXCLUSIVE: House Republicans Call On Amazon To End Relationship With OnlyFans Over Child Pornography)
When Russia first invaded Ukraine in February, Russian content creators on the platform noticed that they could not access the platform. Creators received a message that read, “Please be informed that your country is not supported for payouts, therefore we are unable to assist you regarding that matter at this time.”
“OnlyFans can no longer properly serve our Russian creator community.” https://t.co/4CKMAAZ93e
— Mashable UK (@MashableUK) April 22, 2022
One model told Rolling Stone magazine she lost more than $8,000 from the alleged ban on Russian content creators.
“In short term, I don’t have money to live,” she told the magazine.
Shortly after these reports surfaced, OnlyFans issued a statement saying they had begun restoring those accounts affected.
“We are disheartened by the recent tragic events in Ukraine,” the statement read. “As a global business, OnlyFans stands by our creators and understand that they are not responsible for these heinous acts. After experiencing financial restrictions we have been able to restore account activity for creators in all countries.”
“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,” the statement continued.