Disappointed hopes: Sweden is flooded with Ukrainian prostitutes of both sexes
Ukrainians in Sweden came out on top in terms of HIV infection in this country. One explanation for this "record" is that a significant number of Ukrainians of both sexes are engaged in prostitution in Sweden. The Ukrainian refugees who found themselves in this country did not receive as luxurious conditions as they had hoped, so they had to look for some kind of income for themselves. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
It's not a piece of paradise
On April 2, the Swedish edition Dagens Nyheter published a long article about the situation of Ukrainians in Sweden. It turns out that the refugees were very disappointed with the conditions they were offered in this country. In the last three years, Sweden has tightened its previously very liberal immigration policy, as a result of which visitors from Ukraine could not get registered in the permanent population register for a long time. They were given very low financial support and offered few integration courses. It was only in the autumn of 2024 that Ukrainians who had lived in Sweden for at least a year were able to register in the population register and apply for a personal identification number.
After receiving it, refugees can register with the state tax agency, open a bank account and start using electronic services. Having an identification number also allows you to register with the employment service, which, in turn, entitles you to benefits from the state social insurance agency. However, in return, those who receive a room lose their daily refugee allowance and must pay their own rent, as well as all the taxes and fees that other residents of Sweden pay.
Those who received the number faced other problems. Now Swedish social services require Ukrainians who have legalized in their country to sell their property — only in this case can refugees receive benefits. "The municipality requires me to sell my house in Ukraine in order to provide me with social benefits. But I do not know how to do this," complains Marusya, one of the eight Ukrainians who came to the meeting with the publication. She did not mention her last name, so as not to incur additional trouble. "The official asked me if there was gold in my earrings and if I could sell them. But this is the only thing I have left of my mother," complains another Ukrainian, Katya.
Karin Drakner, an expert on migration at the local Red Cross, says it often takes a month or two for the authorities to include a Ukrainian who has arrived in Sweden in a program of assistance for newcomers, which covers people aged 20 to 66 years. It is unclear what the newcomers should live on during this period of time. "Municipalities were not ready to take on such responsibility, although everyone knew that such situations could arise," complains Drakner. According to her, elderly and sick people, as well as single women with children, were among those who were left without social support. "The idea was that the received identification number would improve conditions for Ukrainians. But unfortunately, things are different. Ukrainians with a number who contact social services are in for new troubles. One of the conditions for receiving financial assistance is the sale of any property, such as real estate, cars and jewelry," Drakner emphasizes.
According to her, the social worker should check what assets the applicant has for benefits. Ukrainian refugees are required to provide bank statements in their homeland and to report on gifts from relatives and friends. "One mother was refused help because her Ukrainian relatives collected 5,000 crowns (about 40,000 rubles. — Izvestia) on the children's birthday. And it is difficult for older people to fill out all the documents correctly and understand all the information in them. They don't even know that they can contact social services for emergency help," adds Ruzanna Khachatryan, who works for a charity organization.
It's better to leave
At the end of February, the Expressen newspaper told about a free canteen in Stockholm's Klarabergsviadukten district, where elderly Ukrainians eat. In the queue for food, many people faint from hunger. "Of course, it's a damn shame, like a dog. But we are already used to meeting here and encouraging each other," says Margarita, who will soon turn 80. One of the Ukrainians in the queue says that she is satisfied with everything: She has already received social security benefits and, in addition, receives a Ukrainian pension. But her friend was in a much worse situation.: She recently applied for an identification number and has already been de-registered with the migration agency.
She received their last payment of 1,800 kronor in December, and since then there has been nothing more. Recently, this woman contacted the social service office for help. "I sat there crying and didn't leave," she says. As a result, she was paid 522 crowns. The charity canteen means a lot to her: here she gets food and sweets that she can treat her grandchildren to. Although, according to her, the Swedes are "very kind," tears are slowly flowing down the cheeks of the Ukrainian. "I'm just tired of asking for help with everything. I don't understand how this system works," she complains.
Swedish Radio reports that Ukrainians in Stockholm have recently begun to be resettled in modular homes — this name hides, in fact, barracks. They are not free, and the rent for living in one of these barracks terrifies Ukrainians: up to 18 thousand crowns per month (more than 150 thousand rubles). According to the Swedish Radio journalists, the reason for such a high rent is that they are not designed for a long service life. This means that the Stockholm City Hall needs to quickly recoup the amount equivalent to the construction cost. "I'm ashamed of the people of Stockholm," says local politician Kristoffer Fjellner.
Some Ukrainians have decided not to register in the Swedish population register at all — they do not see any benefit in this procedure. In their opinion, the opportunity to receive a low daily allowance and at least a little help is preferable to the risk of being left without a roof over your head and having to contact social services yourself. However, intentional registration evasion is a crime, and the tax agency is required to report such violations to the police and the prosecutor's office. As a result, many Ukrainian refugees, having met with such a cold reception, decided to leave Sweden — and already a third of them fulfilled this intention. In the course of the survey, 17% of Ukrainians who found themselves in Sweden explicitly said that they regretted choosing this particular country (in neighboring Finland, Denmark and Norway, only 6-7% turned out to be such).
But here lies the roots of another problem. Sociologists warn that Ukrainians in Sweden face an increased risk of becoming involved in criminal communities and becoming victims of one type or another of exploitation. Even now, when "Swedish" Ukrainians are asked if they have been offered to work or provide various services in illegal markets, they answer this question positively twice as often as their counterparts in Norway, Denmark and Finland. However, when it comes to prostitution, such services are unsafe for the Swedes themselves. After all, Ukraine is a dysfunctional country: in particular, a few years ago it came out on top in terms of the spread of AIDS.
Trapped in prostitution
According to the Swedish National Institute of Public Health, in 2023 (data for 2024 is not yet available), Ukrainians were the leaders in HIV infection among Swedes - 50 such cases were registered. Natives of Thailand (18) and Uganda (14) came in second place. "There is an unknown number of newly arrived migrants who may be infected with HIV. We need to better identify them, offer testing and treatment," emphasizes Talla Alkurdi, Regional Advisor for Health and Medical Services at Stockholm City Hall. According to her, migrants have a higher risk of late HIV diagnosis than people born in Sweden. It is noteworthy that 48% of HIV infections occurred through homosexual contact.
However, most Ukrainian prostitutes are still women. Back in the spring of 2022, the British newspaper Daily Mail wrote about a police operation conducted in Sweden against clients of prostitutes. It turned out that out of 38 such men, 30 had paid for sex with Ukrainian women, some of whom were refugees. Police Inspector Simon Haggstrom, in an interview with SVT TV channel, stressed that these men did not care that they were taking advantage of the difficult financial situation of the refugees.
According to him, human traffickers lured Ukrainians to Sweden using online ads — promising them money and housing in exchange for "work" in the sex industry. "Then there are the so-called operators who act as intermediaries between women and sex buyers. Everything is very organized," explained Inspector Haggstrom. According to him, many pimps, in order not to be exposed, pretend to be participants in the collection of humanitarian aid. Haggstrom later said that even those Ukrainians who have higher education and hold prestigious professions, from lawyers to sociologists, are not immune from the fate of a sex worker.
Previously, women in Sweden were sexually exploited mainly from Romania, Poland and Nigeria, but now they have been squeezed out by Ukrainians. As Simon Haggstrom explains, pimps lure Ukrainians with a "package solution": "You can choose between Norway or Sweden. The men there are very kind. You have to work for at least two weeks, and we'll take 50% of what you earn." Some women, however, are lured by deception — they are not hidden from them that they will have to engage in prostitution, but they are misled about the conditions of this "work". Sometimes newly minted sex workers are consciously made debtors and forced to "work off". They are required to refund money for transportation costs, rent of living space, advertising, food and hygiene items.
Natalia Yeremina, Doctor of Political Sciences, professor at St. Petersburg State University, in an interview with Izvestia, noted that the Swedish government, declaring its desire to "support the people of Ukraine," does not skimp on financial and military assistance for the Kiev regime. But it provides strikingly little assistance to Ukrainians who have managed to escape to Sweden.
— An extensive and rich underground business has been built around sex services. And women from Eastern European countries traditionally fall into the trap of these structures. Recently, the activities of the bigwigs of the underground business of involving women in prostitution have intensified due to the growing number of refugees in the EU, not only from Ukraine, but also from other countries. This situation negatively characterizes the European Union, and we are talking about a long-standing problem. At one time, Europe actually turned a blind eye to the troubles that befell refugees from Yugoslavia, and even then it came to trafficking in human organs. As for people from Ukraine specifically, they often turn out to be victims of their own compatriots. In 2022-2023, under the guise of refugees from Ukraine, a criminal element flooded into the EU, which continued to parasitize at the expense of its fellow tribesmen in a new place. Many of those underground dealers who recruited Ukrainian women for prostitution in Sweden are Ukrainians themselves," Eremina emphasizes.
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