However, the very idea made her laugh. But the heat is on for women like Anna. Last week, the police busted a Russian vice ring and arrested four women — three from Russia and one from Uzbekistan. This reporter was introduced to Anna by a man familiar with the escort scene, and spoke to her for about an hour in the Orchard area. Dressed in a figure-hugging bustier and stilettos, she said she decided to leave Moscow because of the cold climate and the low value of the rouble, the Russian currency.
The tall blonde said she has no boyfriend or responsibilities back home, although she does send money to her family. She said her family would like her to be an artist as she has a talent for drawing and painting, but she said she cannot make such a living in Moscow.
Anna, who has a bubbly personality, also gave up trying to make it as a singer there after several tries. Her ideal life, she said, is anywhere that has a beach, where her dream restaurant will be located. She plans to finance the project with her lucrative work here while staying on as a full-time student.
She works the ground twice a week by frequenting a few Orchard Road clubs popular with men seeking foreign prostitutes. Anna added that most Russian escorts who visit Singapore do so as part of a circuit of places like Macau, Dubai and Malaysia.
According to her, the women stay in apartments around Kim Keat and Balestier. They are cared for by minders with links to the Russian groups that helped them get to Singapore. The minders also take a cut of their incomes. But before I could ask her any more questions, Anna said my time was up. She thanked me and quickly disappeared in the direction of an Orchard Road nightclub.
