A resident of Novosibirsk is set to face trial for involvement in prostitution and the leadership of an organized group alleged to recruit and manage sex workers. The information was released by the regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.
The accused, a 50-year-old inhabitant of the Zaeltsovsky district, stands charged with organizing prostitution and taking part in it. Investigators report that in 2021 she began attracting urban women through social media with promises of attractive earnings. Her lure included assurances of daily pay and free housing, and she even rented a separate apartment to facilitate the enterprise. The women, employed as sex workers, conducted services in a variety of settings including hotels, bath complexes, and at clients’ residences.
The operation appeared to run smoothly for several months, with the organization continuing its activities until August of the following year. Law enforcement intervened, shutting down the network and compelling the defendants to appear in court according to legal orders.
According to the authorities, despite these measures, the group’s leader and two additional members, aged 26 and 27, engaged in another attempt to coordinate prostitution for others in September. The situation was addressed when the security services moved to suppress the activities of the organized crime group on October 5.
Following these developments, the founder of the operation was placed under house arrest, while five alleged sex workers were released under judicial supervision. The cases for these individuals are scheduled to be heard in Dzerzhinsky District Court in the near future.
Earlier reporting noted that a resident of St. Petersburg faced a separate case in which tenants were converted into sex workers and the individual received a suspended sentence. The evolving legal actions highlight ongoing enforcement efforts against human trafficking and prostitution networks within Russia’s major cities, with investigations continuing across different regions.