Prostitution
Prostitutes are feeling the pinch and increasing their rates Getty Images

It appears the economic crisis gripping Russia is hitting punters of all description, with prostitutes increasing their rates by up to 100%.

Live Leak reports the falling value of the rouble has led escorts to double their rates in the Urals, with a brothel in the northern city of Murmansk putting prices up by up to 40%.

The Russian currency is worth 40% less against the dollar than it was at the beginning of the year, with falling oil prices, western sanctions and capital flight all contributing to its devaluation.

The report cites the Ural Polit website as claiming that in the mountainous Urals region, the influx of sex workers fleeing war-torn East Ukraine has led local prostitutes to put up their prices in order to survive.

Live Leak says:

The pre-crisis price was 3,000 to 7,000 roubles ($55 to $130 at Thursday's rate) per two hours of "spending time with an agency employee," Flashnord said Tuesday.

The price will likely be pegged to the dollar in the future, the website said. Though prostitution is illegal in Russia, the report gave the name of the alleged brothel, Madlen.

A representative of another "escort salon" named World of Sex in Murmansk was cited as saying that the enterprise "is trying to keep prices as they were, but life's getting more expensive, and girls can't work at a loss".

Prostitution is illegal in Russia but, despite this, it is estimated that one million of its 142 million citizens are sex workers.

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