OnlyFans temporarily halts services for Russian creators

OnlyFans has temporarily paused accounts and payments for its Russian creators, reported Motherboard. The UK-based platform — up until now — was one of the few Western tech companies to keep its door open to Russian users. Although OnlyFans momentarily blocked access to Russian creators in February, it soon restored the accounts, saying that full functionalities would be available “as long as we have the payment methods to support them.”

But now even tighter payment restrictions appears to have forced OnlyFans’ hand.

“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. However, due to a further tightening of payment restrictions to and from Russia, OnlyFans can no longer properly serve our Russian creator community. As a result, we are taking steps to temporarily pause accounts where payments are received in Russia. We have asked impacted creators to contact support@onlyfans.com who can help address any queries regarding their accounts,” said a statement provided to Motherboard by OnlyFans.

It’s unclear if OnlyFans users in Russia can still access their accounts and pay for services on the platform. Engadget has reached out for clarification and will update if we hear back.

Spending and earning money in Russia has become even more difficult in recent weeks as countries continue to pile on sanctions. Russian creators and merchants have been barred from making money on a number of Western platforms, including Twitch, YouTube, Etsy, Fiverr and Meta-owned Instagram and Facebook. Visa, Paypal, American Express and Mastercard have suspended operations in the country, making it impossible for many Russians to receive or send foreign payments. A partial SWIFT ban on Russia means that a number of its major banks are unable to make transactions with the rest of the world.