The Sun has reported that young Russian men working in Pattaya's nightlife district say they left home partly because they fear being called up to fight in Ukraine.
The newspaper spoke to Sam, 23, from Moscow, and Ilya, 25, from St Petersburg, at a club on Walking Street. Both said they preferred work in Pattaya to the prospect of military service in Russia.
Sam, who had arrived in Pattaya three weeks earlier after first going to Bangkok, performs as a pole dancer at the venue. He said people his age were frightened they could be sent to fight and said he had buried friends and relatives during the war.
"Everything is so hard back home and every one of my age is terrified that they will be sent to fight," Sam told The Sun. He said he believed the conflict would not end until 2034, without explaining why he expected it to last that long.
Work and life on Walking Street
The Big Tool club is on Walking Street, at the centre of Pattaya's extensive red-light district. The venue employs men and women, and attracts male and female customers, according to the newspaper.
Sam said customers could buy drinks from a menu with prices reaching 1,390 baht. Ilya said he worked six days a week, with the club open until 3.30am, and offered hotel visits for 10,000 baht.
Commercial sex remains illegal in Thailand, even though nightlife and entertainment venues are highly visible in Pattaya and other tourist areas. Visitors and foreign residents should be aware that the law can be enforced, and that arrangements made through bars can carry legal, financial and personal-safety risks.
Ilya told the newspaper that Russia had changed sharply in recent years, claiming there was now "no money, no work and no hope". He said he would "definitely have to join the army" if he returned home, and added that he valued the freedom to be himself in Pattaya.
Yana, 26, a dancer from Vladivostok, told The Sun that many men at the club were from Russia or Turkey. She said Russian men would rather be in Thailand than risk ending up in the army and then at the front.
Thailand's growing Russian community
Russia last ordered a major mobilisation in September 2022, calling up 300,000 reservists after battlefield setbacks. The Sun said Moscow has since relied on recruitment incentives, particularly in poorer regions, while dismissing rumours of another imminent call-up.
The report cited Ukraine's claim that Russia is suffering around 1,000 casualties a day, while stating that Russia is desperate to replace losses. It also said that, in the four months shortly after the war began, 233,000 Russians arrived in Phuket, according to the local airport.
Sam summed up his decision simply: "Why would I want to join the army and fight and die when I can be in Pattaya having fun?"
Picture courtesy of The Sun
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12 September 2026
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