When Lyudmila first offered paid sex in May 2022, she was 18 years old. Shortly before that, Russia had launched its full-scale offensive against Ukraine, and it became extremely difficult for the young woman to find work.
"After the war started, there was very little work. Almost no one hired people who lacked professional experience," Lyudmila told German public broadcaster ARD. Today, she is 22 years old and lives in Izyum, which is located on the frontline.
The young woman tried to find a job as a barista. "I went to a job interview and three other girls came with me," she says. Lyudmila didn't get the job and soon after started offering sex services. All her clients are soldiers, the woman explains.
A woman to talk to
"Sex - one way or another, but many of the men just want to talk. They are constantly surrounded by men, they lack female attention and warmth. Some come and pay money just to talk," says Lyudmila.
The military pays well - up to 6,000 hryvnias per hour, which is almost 120 euros. According to her, the reason is that they get much more for sexual services.
"They talk a lot about how they kill Russians. Sometimes they complain about how tired they are of everything," she says. "Basically, it's constant stress, because, as they say, they are on the verge of life and death."
Some of the men showed her videos from the war, others cried in front of her. "They just need to talk, to make it easier."
War provokes violence and aggression
Olena Makaya from the humanitarian organization "Positive Women", originally founded by women in Zaporozhye infected with HIV, says that the psychological stress to which soldiers are exposed has a dark side. "Unfortunately, many of our girls become victims of violence by the military," she says. "We know that this cruelty is due precisely to these stressful situations, when their comrades die nearby," she explains to ARD.
The war has made men more aggressive, and this is also transmitted to sex workers. Makaya tells of cases of extremely severe violence and abuse. "We were approached by raped girls - for example, a man would book a girl, supposedly just for himself, take her to his apartment, and there would be ten to twenty men waiting for her, and they would all rape her."
Other women had been beaten or seriously injured. "They almost always walk around with bruises and scratches", says the social worker.
Mental health problems, addictions, sexually transmitted diseases
Makaya says nothing justifies violence. Post-traumatic stress, anxiety, alcohol abuse and a lack of psychological help are huge problems. Added to this is the fact that there is no public debate on this topic in Ukraine. "Nobody wants to hear that the military uses these services. Especially the wives of these soldiers do not want to hear about it."
According to Makaya, there are really big problems here that need to be urgently solved. One of them is the growing spread of serious diseases such as HIV, syphilis and hepatitis.
Prostitution is criminalized in Ukraine
Despite all the risks, almost none of the women who sought her help want to give up this profession. The reasons for this are very individual: financial difficulties, drug addiction, husbands or partners who force women to engage in prostitution. In addition, many women perceive violence and diseases as "part of their job", says Makaya.
Sex services in a city on the front line are also offered by 55-year-old Nadiya, whose name has been changed by the ARD editorial office. The 55-year-old woman cannot support herself on her cleaning salary alone, which does not even cover half of her needs. Her two children, who are now grown up, do not know anything about her second job, she says, and assures that she dreams of finding a loving husband and quitting this job.
Paid sex is illegal in Ukraine. According to Makaya, this makes it difficult to protect women. "Girls would be better protected, for example, they could safely go to the police if they were raped." Lyudmila also supports legalization. She dreams of one day starting a new life - from scratch and clean. She is saving for an apartment in her native Cherkasy region, wants to buy a car and start her own small business.
Author: Susanne Petersson ARD