Coronavirus Sends Demand for and Price of Sex Services in Russia Down 30 to 40 Percent

Paul Goble

            Staunton, March 22 – The coronavirus pandemic is affecting many kinds of workers, including those in the sex trade with American customers reportedly asking prostitutes to wear masks and Spanish police requiring both prostitutes and their customers to self-isolate for two weeks (ko.ru/articles/spros-na-seks-uslugi-v-rossii-upal-na-30-40/).

            In Russia, journalist Viktor Yadukha says, demand is down and so are prices, although he reports some curiosities: at high end bordellos in Moscow, clients can get certification that prostitutes there are free from the virus if they pay 500 US dollars, although how that can be established given how long the test takes is unclear.

            Irina Maslova, the leader of the Silver Rose organization which unites prostitutes across the Russian Federation, tells him that in the last week, the number of clients per prostitute fell 30 to 40 percent. She says women in her group haven’t cut prices; but Yadukha says that his personal survey of massage parlors found that prices had dropped by about 40 percent as well.

            Maslova says that given the isolation the Russian government is requiring, she expects a dramatic rise in demand for telephone sex.