Russia’s Mercenary Army Is Using Pornhub to Recruit New Members
“Don’t whack off, apply for a job with the Wagner Group,” the ad says.

Igor Russak/Reuters
When convicted felons are not enough for your brutal mercenary army, who do you target next? Porn-watchers, if you’re Russia’s Wagner Group. Vladimir Putin’s guns-for-hire have turned to Pornhub for recruiting, posting a highly suggestive ad to get young Russian men off the couch and onto the blood-soaked battlefields of Ukraine. In the ad, a lipstick-wearing woman twirls a lollipop on her tongue, as a seductive voice in the background says, “We are the most fucking amazing private army in the world. We are hiring fighters from all parts of Russia. Don’t whack off, apply for a job with the Wagner Group.” Then a phone number with links to Wagner Group recruiters pops up on the screen. There may be a deeper reason why the Wagner Group is so desperate for recruits. Experts have speculated that Putin may be purposefully trying to weaken the group by putting its soldiers on the frontlines of a brutal siege after Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has begun to criticize the Russian president in recent weeks.
ЗМІ звернули увагу на те, що ПВК "Вагнер", власником якого є Євген Пригожин, почали рекламувати на популярному порносайті Pornhub (18+). pic.twitter.com/pXfiXq2jrI
— Українська правда ✌️ (@ukrpravda_news) March 15, 2023
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.