The Russian invasion of Ukraine remains one of the biggest headaches for global powers, as there seems to be no immediate solution to the conflict. According to US media estimates, total casualties in the war have surpassed 2 million combined killed, wounded, and missing since the February 2022 full-scale invasion.
In the latest development, U.S. peace envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff heralded new momentum in peace talks after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv on Sunday, as the Trump administration renewed its push to end the conflict.
Kushner and Witkoff travelled from Moscow, where they held three hours of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, but did not appear to secure a breakthrough in the conflict. Witkoff, President Donald Trump's envoy, said they had "heard new ideas" in Moscow, which they did not detail, and they hoped a new round of U.S.-mediated Ukraine-Russia talks would be announced "in short order." Zelenskyy praised the "very substantive" conversation with Witkoff and Kushner and said Ukraine was ready for trilateral talks.
Porn industry to pay for drones!
Meanwhile, the financial and social toll of the war on either side has gone far beyond negligible levels. Ukraine, considered among the more conservative European societies, is on the verge of taxing pornography in the hope of raising enough funds to procure more attack drones. OnlyFans models fear arrest and jail terms, as the porn industry is illegal in Ukraine.
But circumstances are slowly changing, and a bill to legalise pornography is reportedly awaiting its second reading in Parliament. It had won a first vote in July, as Ukrainian lawmakers estimate that taxing the country’s thousands of OnlyFans models could bring into the coffers up to $25 million each year.
According to the Wall Street Journal, 7,900 Ukrainians made in excess of $131 million from OnlyFans during 2023. This was an eye-opener for the authorities, as the sum that can be raised by taxing these youngsters could buy them thousands of suicide drones. But to do that, they first have to repeal the laws that make porn production illegal in the country, as no OnlyFans model would come forward voluntarily with their tax forms filled, fearing prosecution. It remains to be seen how things change in the country.
Russian war on Telegram porn
Meanwhile, behind enemy lines, things are slightly different. Notorious globally for its thriving adult content industry, Vladimir Putin's administration has ordered a crackdown on the country's underground porn industry. Labelled a witch-hunt against youngsters using OnlyFans as a means of income, the Kremlin has launched an operation with the objective to safeguard the country's “traditional values.”
It was reported last month that Russian law enforcement has started opening criminal cases against OnlyFans content creators. Several adult stars and models are behind bars pending hearings in Russia for breaking the rules, the reports said. This "war on Telegram porn" is effectively banning the guilty from appearing on the internet, failing which a jail term of three years will be handed down.
