Russian Cut Off from Payments

[rockin_rod]

I am feeling really conflicted about what to do here.
I have a model friend in Russia who I have followed for years. She works for a studio and the owner is telling the models he is having issues cashing out from most sites. At first I suspected this was bs, and he was just trying to delay paying the models. But last night she told me the owner said the models could decide for themselves if they carried on working or not, in case he couldn't ultimately pay them. Maybe this is also about the expected limitations on the internet access in Russia too.
So, assuming it is genuine, she is suddenly without any income. While I am really against any off-site payment methods at all, the circumstances are difficult. I would like to help her right now, especially if tips to the site are not resulting in her being paid.
But with the halt to payments via the banking system (SWIFT) and other methods, adult site-friendly or not, I don't see any way to help her out. I really don't want to think about stuff like crypto either.

 

[Lintilla]

I don't see any way to help her out. I really don't want to think about stuff like crypto either.

You don't see any way to accomplish it with methods you're familiar with, but don't want to try something new?

 

[rockin_rod]

You don't see any way to accomplish it with methods you're familiar with, but don't want to try something new?

No, I don't know of any conventional way of sending funds to that country, that hasn't already been blocked by the banking systems or global operators.
So I'm open to ideas/suggestions, which I may not be aware of already; maybe there are other members or models reading this thread who know of something that works.
I just don't want to go down path of buying crypto. Have zero knowledge of the process, and seems risky to the novice, especially the market volatility and buying on behalf of another.

 

[AmberCutie]

I just don't want to go down path of buying crypto. Have zero knowledge of the process, and seems risky to the novice

And this is why I am not onboard to try to make so many cam and content sites reliant on crypto. Even rod here who seems to have a great grasp of the Internet and it's workings is hesitant to try it.

I digress from the original topic, but couldn't help myself to note this.

 

[Lintilla]

And this is why I am not onboard to try to make so many cam and content sites reliant on crypto. Even rod here who seems to have a great grasp of the Internet and it's workings is hesitant to try it.

I digress from the original topic, but couldn't help myself to note this.

I'm fully onboard the crypto train, and even I keep telling these bros that trying to start a mainstream site based on tipping with crypto is going to crash and burn. There's very little audience, and the audience that does exist is only trying to , not transact like normal humans. I'm not telling them again without a consulting fee.

But one thing crypto can be suited for is transferring funds internationally while bypassing traditional banking systems that people may not have access to, that charge high fees, that may be unstable, or are, say... subject to sanctions. So while tipping crypto to camsites isn't a thing people generally seem to give a shit about right now, payouts from camsites in crypto are popular.

For those a little braver than @rockin_rod, I will help explain the process to anyone who asks. It's easy as heck to buy crypto these days, and volatility can be almost completely avoided. If you can use Cash App or Paypal, you can figure out crypto. Heck, you can buy, sell, and send crypto from within Cash App itself.

Unfortunately, as for best sites to convert to and from crypto, I only have answers for USA and Canada, and can only do research in English. I can help with how to get crypto into another country, but not necessarily how to get it out (and certainly not with any questions like "is it even legal for me to pay someone in country x from country y for service z right now?")

Anyway, irked me a bit to see someone so upset that they couldn't help their friend, mention one likely solution, and immediately dismiss it while saying they don't even want to think about it. Learn more than zero about something before deciding it's too hard or too risky. Camsites have a significant learning curve, as well, but most of us around here figured out how to work them.

 

[Highlander884]

Well im so confused about crypto that I had to look up if it was bitcoin or not.

Someone I know from Belarus says shes still able to cash out in bitcoin if that helps.

Think the advice to anyone in russia is cash out the tokens you earn as soon as u possibly can.

 

[CheeseMoon]

But with the halt to payments via the banking system (SWIFT) and other methods, adult site-friendly or not, I don't see any way to help her out. I really don't want to think about stuff like crypto either.

Using a cryptocurrency (bitcoin, ethereum or whatever) is about your only reliable option now. The process is similar to buying/selling stocks or regular currencies, if that makes any sense to you. There is a learning curve involved since you need to understand about wallets, crypto exchanges, sending/receiving crypto and of course the tehcnicalities of cashing out, but it's way, way more convenient now than it used to be. Convenience comes at a price though.

However, with a hyperinflation on the horizon for Russia, your AUDs will be worth less and less for her in the local shops the longer you drag your feet. You may not want to, but you need to.

 

[rockin_rod]

For those a little braver than @rockin_rod, I will help explain the process to anyone who asks.

Thanks for the judgement. I don't consider myself lacking bravery, at least where it really matters - but I'd be foolish to dive headlong into the complicated world of cryptocurrency with very little understanding of how it works and how to transact.
Took me a while to even get comfortable with the idea of sending her funds off the cam site she works on, that was a line I promised myself years ago I wouldn't cross. But this is a tough situation for her, so I adapt. But I do not have time right now to learn crypto navigation 101, in the likely timeframe she will need some help.
You sound like someone who knows how it all works, that's great. Maybe my friend's studio can get payouts in bitcoin instead of local currency, that's great too, and worth pursuing.

 

[KingMarti]

But one thing crypto can be suited for is transferring funds internationally while bypassing traditional banking systems that people may not have access to, that charge high fees, that may be unstable, or are, say... subject to sanctions.

Sometimes I feel like you are one of the few people on the internet that understands / remembers this is the entire point of having a decentralized transaction system, and not to get rich

I think until people see the use case it's a hard concept to grasp on why there was a need for a way to send and receive funds without 3rd party intervention.

@rockin_rod
As for using crypto (speaking about bitcoin specifically, also applies to LTC, BCH, Doge and a few others, but some are a lot more complicated because they are sub chains on another chain and the whole thing is a mess, thats a whole other topic though.

It's very straight forward, the hardest part is still the initial purchase, but even that is pretty much as simple as any online shopping once you make an account with a site like coinbase, changely or nexo. From there it's just copy and paste the persons wallet address, enter the amount and hit send, then you get full tracking on the transaction so you can acctually see what's going on, if it's waiting to be confirmed, or if it's been confirmed meaning the other person has received the funds. IMO a classic bank transfer is more difficult and neve racking (since once you send the payment all you can do is wait and hope that the details you entered were right, you never know if the money is still in transfer just taking longer than normal or if you made a mistake.). Best way to learn about how transactions work is to buy like $5-$10 and make a few transactions either to another wallet you own or to someone else.

Personally I would stay away from ETH, the transaction fee's are way too high, ETH wasnt designed to be a transactional currancy and the whole "we can do everything" approach and all of the projects built on top of it mean it is very unlikely to have low fees again.

I think one of the big problems with crypto is people like to over complicate it, make it seem like this magical thing that you will never understand (makes it easer for people to run their get rich quick schemes if people dont understand what they are buying or how it works) . But in it's simplest form, it's not really any different to topping up a paypal account (like sending funds into your paypal account before hand) and using paypal.

You dont even have to learn how to use exchanges, you can simply buy at the current price with changely or though nexo, the purchase interface for those is extremely user friendly, you enter the amount of USD you want to spend, it tells you you will get x amount of whatever currancy (changely you need to enter your wallet address to receive them, nexo you have a wallet with them where your crypto is deposited). It's a little more expencive than using an exchange but IMO the ease of it is worth the small fee they charge.

Hope that cleared up some of your confusion on it or the amount of learning you would have to do. It's really not complicated, it just seems that way by how people talk about it. You could learn the basics (which is all you need to purchase, send and receive funds) in under an hour, and most of that is going to be waiting for your transaction to clear. Feel free to drop me a message if you decide you do want to learn how to use it and have any questions.

 

[Smoothie]

@rockin_rod
I think one of the big problems with crypto is people like to over complicate it, make it seem like this magical thing that you will never understand (makes it easer for people to run their get rich quick schemes if people dont understand what they are buying or how it works).

That’s also why a lot of advanced mathematicians end up working on Wall Street. Can’t detect the fraud if nobody can solve the formula.

Good on you for being open to explaining this stuff to others with an open mind.

 

[Ozzie_]

Sometimes I feel like you are one of the few people on the internet that understands / remembers this is the entire point of having a decentralized transaction system, and not to get rich

I think until people see the use case it's a hard concept to grasp on why there was a need for a way to send and receive funds without 3rd party intervention.

@rockin_rod
As for using crypto (speaking about bitcoin specifically, also applies to LTC, BCH, Doge and a few others, but some are a lot more complicated because they are sub chains on another chain and the whole thing is a mess, thats a whole other topic though.

It's very straight forward, the hardest part is still the initial purchase, but even that is pretty much as simple as any online shopping once you make an account with a site like coinbase, changely or nexo. From there it's just copy and paste the persons wallet address, enter the amount and hit send, then you get full tracking on the transaction so you can acctually see what's going on, if it's waiting to be confirmed, or if it's been confirmed meaning the other person has received the funds. IMO a classic bank transfer is more difficult and neve racking (since once you send the payment all you can do is wait and hope that the details you entered were right, you never know if the money is still in transfer just taking longer than normal or if you made a mistake.). Best way to learn about how transactions work is to buy like $5-$10 and make a few transactions either to another wallet you own or to someone else.

Personally I would stay away from ETH, the transaction fee's are way too high, ETH wasnt designed to be a transactional currancy and the whole "we can do everything" approach and all of the projects built on top of it mean it is very unlikely to have low fees again.

I think one of the big problems with crypto is people like to over complicate it, make it seem like this magical thing that you will never understand (makes it easer for people to run their get rich quick schemes if people dont understand what they are buying or how it works) . But in it's simplest form, it's not really any different to topping up a paypal account (like sending funds into your paypal account before hand) and using paypal.

You dont even have to learn how to use exchanges, you can simply buy at the current price with changely or though nexo, the purchase interface for those is extremely user friendly, you enter the amount of USD you want to spend, it tells you you will get x amount of whatever currancy (changely you need to enter your wallet address to receive them, nexo you have a wallet with them where your crypto is deposited). It's a little more expencive than using an exchange but IMO the ease of it is worth the small fee they charge.

Hope that cleared up some of your confusion on it or the amount of learning you would have to do. It's really not complicated, it just seems that way by how people talk about it. You could learn the basics (which is all you need to purchase, send and receive funds) in under an hour, and most of that is going to be waiting for your transaction to clear. Feel free to drop me a message if you decide you do want to learn how to use it and have any questions.

Excellent explanation.

With regard to the original query (helping a model in Russia with crypto), does anyone *know* how easy it is for the average Russian to access crypto currently? To convert it to currency? (I do not imagine one can rock on down the local 7-11 in Samara and buy a slurpee with bitcoin)

I must admit the volatility of value of whatever sent would still concern me when sending crypto to someone I wanted to help.

 

[KingMarti]

Excellent explanation.

With regard to the original query (helping a model in Russia with crypto), does anyone *know* how easy it is for the average Russian to access crypto currently? To convert it to currency? (I do not imagine one can rock on down the local 7-11 in Samara and buy a slurpee with bitcoin)

I must admit the volatility of value of whatever sent would still concern me when sending crypto to someone I wanted to help.

Crypto.com offers a pre-pay visa card, bitcoin atms are a thing too.
find local atms here:

https://coinatmradar.com/

Those are proberly the easiest methods.

 

[Merlinus]

In the past week I’ve chatted with two Russian models, one works for a studio while the other is now independent, and neither of them seemed concerned about getting paid. So for now I don’t think the situation is as dire as some think.

For one thing, ICANN is not going to revoke the .RU domain name. And Elon Musk’s Starlink won’t block Russian news sources. So Russia is not going to vanish from the Internet.

Strictly speaking, SWIFT is not a payment sytem; it’s a messaging system. And only two of Russia’s six largest banks are being sanctioned – VTB and Promsvyazbank. The other five banks subject to sanctions are Bank Otkritie, Novikombank, Rossiya Bank, Sovcombank, and VEB. This excludes 75% of the Russian banking sector, including Sberbank, Gazprom Bank, Alfa-Bank and the Russian Agricultural Bank. One reason for the exclusions is that the world economy will collapse without Russian oil and gas.

Russia also has its own messaging system, the System for Transfer of Financial Messages (SPFS), and while it’s primarily for intra-Russian transactions, Russia can also partner with China’s Cross-Border Inter-Bank Payments System (CBIBPS) for international transactions.

Visa and Mastercard can still be used for transactions within Russian, just not for international payments. PayPal and Wise (formerly TransferWise) have also ceased international transfers to Russia. But Russia had already prepared for this eventuality by releasing Mir cards a decade ago; and Russian banks have the option of releasing Mir cards through China’s UnionPay, which is used in 120 countries.

One last point. Camming is illegal in Russia, so I would expect most of the studios (and models) operating there to be experienced in “creative financing”. That said, I’m glad that cryptoexchanges like Binance, Coinbase and Kraken are refusing to comply with insane Ukranian demands to “sabotage ordinary [Russian] users”. For now, if I want to send funds directly to Russia, crypto seems to be the way to go.

 

[NerdyZoey]

So from numerous sources I see Visa, MasterCard have also cut business ties with Russia, eliminating a few more major payment processors today.

I know that Paxum was still paying out after the SWIFT cut off which allowed onlyfans to come back and other sites but with this new Cut I’m not so sure.

Paxum uses trucash which is regulated by FIS I believe. I cannot tell us these new restrictions matter. Still researching

 

[Merlinus]

Visa, MasterCard and AmEx all announced they are suspending operations within Russia. The info I've read is confusing, but in the case of Visa at least, it seems that cards issued by Russian banks will continue to work within Russia until they expire, however payments will be processed through the National Payment Card System (NSPK), which is the system used by Mir cards. I would guess that MasterCards and AmEx cards issued by Russian banks would work the same way.

Meanwhile, Sberbank and Alfa Bank have announced they will start issuing Mir-UnionPay cards. UnionPay is the second largest credit card network in the world, after Visa.

The info I've seen regarding Paxum is also confusing. According to their Twitter feed, Russian customers can withdraw funds to external cards issued by non-sanctioned banks. However, they reference a total of 15 sanctioned banks; and Paxum's list excludes 2 of the banks that are being sanctioned by SWIFT. My best guess is that Paxum is sanctioning banks according to the sanctions being placed by certain individual nations, such as Great Britain and Canada (since it's a Canadian company).

 

[Merlinus]

I’ve been doing additional research into Paxum, and I think the reason they’re being so zealous about sanctioning Russian banks is precisely because they are Canadian. To put this into context, Justin Trudeau recently announced that Canada will ban Russian oil. This despite the fact that Canada doesn’t import any oil from Russia. More disturbing, a group of Russian nationals who were on a charter flight to the Arctic were detained and grounded by Canada simply for being Russian nationals. This type of harassment of innocent civilians is completely unprecedented for a supposedly civilized nation. But then again, look at how Canada treated its own citizens who participated in the Freedom Convoy.

The tl;dr is that Paxum probably isn’t the best payment processor for Russian models. I’m currently looking into ePay instead.

 

[Ozzie_]

To put this into context, Justin Trudeau recently announced that Canada will ban Russian oil. This despite the fact that Canada doesn’t import any oil from Russia.

Sometimes in international politics, a symbolic gesture is as useful as a material action.

(But maybe not when dealing with a bat-shit crazy megalomaniac)

 

[MarieElise]

(But maybe not when dealing with a bat-shit crazy megalomaniac)

Well put.

 

[GraysonDrake]

I saw JustForFans tweet that they're giving Ukrainian models 100% payout for the time being, not sure how they're managing to swing it but I thought that was really cool of them.

I feel so bad for all the Russian models who can't get paid though. I wonder if any of them are turning to crypto...

 

[NerdyZoey]

I saw JustForFans tweet that they're giving Ukrainian models 100% payout for the time being, not sure how they're managing to swing it but I thought that was really cool of them.

I feel so bad for all the Russian models who can't get paid though. I wonder if any of them are turning to crypto...

That’s really awesome of them. It seems like Ukrainian banks are not as connected to a Russian banks as many have thought and they are able to get payout and use the extra help being provided.

 

[Merlinus]

Sometimes in international politics, a symbolic gesture is as useful as a material action.

(But maybe not when dealing with a bat-shit crazy megalomaniac)

I hope we all agree that targeting civilians during military conflicts is morally reprehensible. I would like to suggest that targeting ordinary citizens economically (or otherwise) during military conflicts is also reprehensible. I think it’s great that companies like JustForFans and Paxum are giving a helping hand to Ukrainian models. I just wish they were doing the same for Russian models. But instead I see Paxum being overly zealous in sanctioning Russian banks, and that, taken in the context of other actions by Canadian entities, makes me suspect there’s a deliberate policy being implemented of causing economic pain to ordinary Russians in the hopes that they will turn against their government. And so I want to ask, does any cam model here believe it’s appropriate for their livelihoods to be threatened for the actions of their governments?

I’m in the same situation as rockin_rod. I follow several Russian models, one of them for over two years. I’ve given her more than a hundred privates. For now things seem to be relatively okay, but I can see the worry and the pain in her face. And so I am dreading the day she might tell me that she can no longer work. I’m not opposed to off-site payments. I’ve made them before with other models. But these wouldn’t be payments, they would be gifts. We have a very clear understanding of the boundaries that we observe with each other, and these types of gifts would greatly complicate things with this model. And so I’m loathe to do it. But I will if it’s for the greater good.

But it angers me, that she and other Russians are being targeted on the basis of a false premise, that they can be made to overthrow their leader because he’s just a “bat-shit crazy megalomaniac”. This premise is flawed for multiple reasons, not the least of which is that everything that Putin is doing is completely rational; and if anything, it’s the actions of Western “leaders” that have consistently demonstrated “bat-shit crazy [megalomania]”.

If you have an hour to spare, I would recommend the following lecture by Professor John J. Mearsheimer on the causes of the Ukrainian conflict.

 

[Life_Happens]

YES! I have many Russian model friends and I think it is important to say that not a single one supports this war, or wanted it in the first place. But they are terrified to say anything or show disapproval.

Unfortunately, this is what we will probably see for the foreseeable future.

 

[LydiaFrost]

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/banking-finance/coinbase-blocks-25000-crypto-wallets-linked-to-russia-users

Interesting but thankfully it just targets individuals that have been sanctioned in other ways too, not ordinary users. The article says, that they won't hinder normal users in russia from using their cryptowallets.

 

[rockin_rod]

https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/banking-finance/coinbase-blocks-25000-crypto-wallets-linked-to-russia-users

Interesting but thankfully it just targets individuals that have been sanctioned in other ways too, not ordinary users. The article says, that they won't hinder normal users in russia from using their cryptowallets.

I just read that about coinbase here too https://www.americanbanker.com/payments/list/these-payment-companies-are-cutting-off-russia
I was able to send a gift payment via Western Union, although ^this article says WU plans on winding up services in Russia by April.
Made sure it was understood that I expect nothing in return, it is just about helping with living expenses while unable to work as normal.
Right now, since I'm not using the usual camsite, I can send what I had budgeted to spend there. Still feels a bit weird though.
At least I am using my Netflix subscription better, with all this extra free time now
Unsurprisingly, the ruble has dropped significantly in the international exchange rates, I just hope the cost of living over there doesn't increase to reflect that.
Also not forgetting to add, thoughts and prayers with those in Ukraine still.

 

[Merlinus]

YES! I have many Russian model friends and I think it is important to say that not a single one supports this war, or wanted it in the first place. But they are terrified to say anything or show disapproval.

Unfortunately, this is what we will probably see for the foreseeable future.

This is the worst of both worlds. Russians who don't follow politics or who don't support the war, yet are being burdened with "collective guilt" just for being Russian.

Edit. Forgot to add earlier, TikTok and Netflix are also limiting or suspending services in Russia.

 

[Ozzie_]

I hope we all agree that targeting civilians during military conflicts is morally reprehensible. I would like to suggest that targeting ordinary citizens economically (or otherwise) during military conflicts is also reprehensible. I think it’s great that companies like JustForFans and Paxum are giving a helping hand to Ukrainian models. I just wish they were doing the same for Russian models. But instead I see Paxum being overly zealous in sanctioning Russian banks, and that, taken in the context of other actions by Canadian entities, makes me suspect there’s a deliberate policy being implemented of causing economic pain to ordinary Russians in the hopes that they will turn against their government. And so I want to ask, does any cam model here believe it’s appropriate for their livelihoods to be threatened for the actions of their governments?

I’m in the same situation as rockin_rod. I follow several Russian models, one of them for over two years. I’ve given her more than a hundred privates. For now things seem to be relatively okay, but I can see the worry and the pain in her face. And so I am dreading the day she might tell me that she can no longer work. I’m not opposed to off-site payments. I’ve made them before with other models. But these wouldn’t be payments, they would be gifts. We have a very clear understanding of the boundaries that we observe with each other, and these types of gifts would greatly complicate things with this model. And so I’m loathe to do it. But I will if it’s for the greater good.

But it angers me, that she and other Russians are being targeted on the basis of a false premise, that they can be made to overthrow their leader because he’s just a “bat-shit crazy megalomaniac”. This premise is flawed for multiple reasons, not the least of which is that everything that Putin is doing is completely rational; and if anything, it’s the actions of Western “leaders” that have consistently demonstrated “bat-shit crazy [megalomania]”.

If you have an hour to spare, I would recommend the following lecture by Professor John J. Mearsheimer on the causes of the Ukrainian conflict.

No. I disagree (but respect your right to your opinion).

I am a simple guy. I see no comparison between Ukrainians being killed, and having their towns cities and perhaps their whole country destroyed, and Russians losing their jobs.

It is unfortunate that Russians may lose their jobs or experience hardship.
It is a crime that Ukrainians are dying in the invasion of their sovereign nation.

I am no fan of the USA and its behaviour on the world stage (particularly in Latin America since the 1800s), but to blame it for the actions of Putin is, in my opinion, incorrect. His actions are not rational. There is nothing rational about the leader of a huge, populous, powerful country invading a smaller neighbouring nation (unless he is a bat-shit crazy megalomaniac, then it is *perfectly* rational ).

 

[Merlinus]

No. I disagree (but respect your right to your opinion).

I am a simple guy. I see no comparison between Ukrainians being killed, and having their towns cities and perhaps their whole country destroyed, and Russians losing their jobs.

I don't understand your comments. Russians have died too. At least 10,000 Russians have been killed by Ukraine in the Donbas over the past 8 years. Meanwhile, Russia has done everything possible to avoid killing Ukrainian civilians during this invasion. They have even tried to minimize the deaths of Ukrainian soldiers. They are simply destroying the infrastructure of war.

Did you even watch the video?

 

[Smores]

I'm fully onboard the crypto train, and even I keep telling these bros that trying to start a mainstream site based on tipping with crypto is going to crash and burn. There's very little audience, and the audience that does exist is only trying to , not transact like normal humans. I'm not telling them again without a consulting fee.

I remember when I first started here that you were a BTC HODLer, even when the price was under $1K. Without elaborating details, just well done....

But one thing crypto can be suited for is transferring funds internationally while bypassing traditional banking systems that people may not have access to, that charge high fees, that may be unstable, or are, say... subject to sanctions. So while tipping crypto to camsites isn't a thing people generally seem to give a shit about right now, payouts from camsites in crypto are popular.

Right, but consider that crypto is illegal in Russia. So imagine what a Russian model who wanted to cash in on a crypto payment needs to do. Basically, she needs to find a criminal or someone connected to criminals who has a bank account overseas that they can use to cash crypto into foreign currency. Then they have to pay out of some local reserve. How much are they going to take for that service? 50%? So the model loses 50% to their studio, on an amount already-reduced by CB's profit, and then potentially lose 50% again transacting the Bitcoin back to local currency? Of course it will be different for each studio or model receiving a direct payment, but it is going to take time for an alternate currency transfer system to emerge and gain some efficiency in Russia.

You would think that Putin - being the target of sanctions for many years - would have embraced crypto and even considered making some portion of the Russian currency reserves a diversified crypto portfolio. Instead, they banned crypto. Not super smart.

For those a little braver than @rockin_rod, I will help explain the process to anyone who asks. It's easy as heck to buy crypto these days, and volatility can be almost completely avoided. If you can use Cash App or Paypal, you can figure out crypto. Heck, you can buy, sell, and send crypto from within Cash App itself.

For now, you can probably slip by undetected. But how long will it be until the US Treasury or IRS starts following the path of all crypto transactions and trying to figure out which ones are going overseas? If the source of funds is an easily traced registered US money vendor like PayPal or Cash App, they can demand the name of the account holder. Would they at some point start sending notices to those account holders asking for explanations of payments they cannot trace?

If you want to pay Russian models without censorship, you might need a hardware wallet that is funded by direct transfers from other users, and even then if the amounts you transferred were large enough, they would find you.

 

[Smores]

I wonder how many people realize how many of the models claiming to be from Europe are actually from Russia? By my estimate, at least 60% of the models on CB broadcasting during the North American night are from Russia or Ukraine. The models from UK? Most are from Russia. The models from France? Most are from Russia. Models from Poland? Russia. Ironically, a lot of the models claiming to be from Ukraine are from Russia and many of the models claiming to be from Russia are from Ukraine. If CB had no way to to pay any of the Russian models, things could get ugly in the webcam world very fast.

I am starting to send some token support to a few Ukrainian models. None of them have been able to broadcast. I keep trying to convince them to seek refugee status and just get the hell out. One of them is committed to her country and refuses to leave. Another is tied to her family, and they refuse to abandon homes and jobs. How far away are we from a point where Putin might lose it and start bombing civilians? I fear I am going to lose contact with most of them, and soon.

 

[Highlander884]

I dont know how to tell some of u this but putin is already bombing civilians. That's been going on for days now! The analysis are saying this because his invasion isnt going to plan so hes increasing the pressure and trying to destroy ukraine morale by killing civilians, something that has been done before in other military attacks since hes been in power.

I agree every russian I know is horrified, scared and shocked with what's going on and has always known that putin is a cunt! And a few r looking into leaving russia because of what's happening, the censorship hes doing with social media and independent news and scared more of what's hes going to do next rather then what the west might do.

Only one person has talked about the sanctions, shes not happy as she feels it affects the general public more then the rich and powerful. I did say that the plan is to get more people to stand up and fight but she says people r already doing that. But I tell her it's more the older generations who sit at home and watch tv believing the lies they're trying to convince. She tells me that theres no way of convincing them that putin is lying to them, that they're just zombies.



I