The Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation has demanded that the “International Satanist Movement” be declared “extremist.”

The Prosecutor General of Russia, Igor Krasnov, along with the Ministry of Justice, has filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation seeking to have the “International Satanist Movement” declared an “extremist” organisation. This was reported by the pro-Kremlin agency RIA Novosti, citing information from the Ministry of Justice’s website. However, at the time this news was published, OVD-Info was unable to find the original source on the ministry’s website.

According to RIA, the Supreme Court has scheduled the hearing of the Justice Ministry and Prosecutor General’s lawsuit seeking to declare the “International Satanist Movement” “extremist” and ban it in Russia for 22 July.

In early April, the State Duma hosted a roundtable discussion “on countering the spread of Satanism and other destructive cults and ideologies in Russia.”

Vyacheslav Leontyev, head of the executive committee of the “Cultural Front of Russia” movement, noted that based on the working group’s findings, changes are planned to be introduced into the laws on freedom of conscience and on trade.

Chair of the State Duma Defence Committee Andrey Kartapolov stated that “both Satanism itself and everything associated with it must be considered a direct threat to statehood”: “After all, we have already recognised LGBT ideology as incompatible and adopted laws that prevent its dissemination. Satanism is no better. It is worse, more aggressive, more misanthropic.”

Patriarch Kirill called for the “International Satanist Movement” to be recognised as “extremist,” said Fyodor Lukyanov, head of the Patriarchal Commission on Family, Motherhood and Childhood, also in April. He also claimed that “the LGBT movement” and “the Satanist movement” are interconnected.

Meanwhile, Roman Silantyev, head of the Laboratory of Destructology at Moscow State Linguistic University, remarked that declaring the movement an “extremist” organisation “would in the future pave the way for the banning of even more dangerous movements, including Wahhabis and Marxists.”

• No organisation called the “International Satanist Movement” actually exists, just as previously banned in Russia were the “International LGBT movement,” the “Anti-Russian Separatist Movement,” the AUE groups and “Columbine” movements—none of which exist in reality.
• In December 2024, the Prosecutor General’s Office recognised the American church The Satanic Temple as an “undesirable organisation.” The authority accused the organisation of promoting occult practices and supporting proponents of extremist movements.