Two disabled men held in modern slavery have been rescued from a gated residential community along the Rublyovskoye Highway in the Moscow region, where they were forced to guard the property and attack each other on live video broadcasts.
The victims, identified as 23-year-old Yuri and 21-year-old Ruslan, spent two years in captivity before being liberated by anti-slavery activists, according to Russian news outlet Mash.
The two men first sought employment at the security checkpoint of the Gorki-2 settlement in 2024. Yuri has missing fingers on one hand, while Ruslan lives with a mental developmental delay.
Upon taking the security jobs, the pair were promised lodging, regular meals, and a monthly wage of 25,000 rubles. However, their identity documents were confiscated shortly after their arrival, and they were never paid their earnings.
Abuse and Forced Live Streams
Instead of the promised housing, the men were forced to live inside an unfinished shed. Their captors confiscated their disability pensions, subjected them to arbitrary financial fines, and forced them to beat each other on camera to collect viewer donations.
So-called trash streaming is an online trend, particularly prevalent on live broadcasting platforms, where creators perform dangerous, violent, or degrading acts on video in exchange for financial tips from audience members.
The estate where the men were held is situated in Gorki-2, a settlement along the Rublyovskoye Highway. The area, commonly known as Rublyovka, is a prominent suburban district west of Moscow known for housing wealthy residents and exclusive gated developments.
Rescue by Anti-Slavery Activists
Humanitarian workers from Alternativa, a Russian non-governmental organization that works to combat human trafficking and rescue victims of forced labor, successfully intervened to free both young men from the property.
The victims are now safe following their rescue by the organization, while further details regarding law enforcement investigations into their captors remain unannounced.
