A Moscow court has sentenced sex education advocate Sasha Kazantseva to detention in absentia as part of a criminal case.

The Khoroshyovsky District Court in Moscow today ordered the arrest in absentia of sex education campaigner, blogger and queer activist Sasha Kazantseva. Information about this has been published on the court’s website.

Kazantseva is accused of repeatedly failing to comply with the duties of a “foreign agent” (part 2, article 330.1 of the Criminal Code). The Ministry of Justice included her in the register in February 2023.

The agency explained awarding Kazantseva “foreign agent” status on the grounds that she “promoted LGBT relationships.” This, it claimed, “contradicts the State policy on preserving and strengthening traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, as well as constitutional priorities in protecting the family, motherhood and childhood.” Moreover, according to the Ministry of Justice, the blogger also participated in fundraising in support of Ukraine.

Sasha Kazantseva has already been fined three times for violating “foreign agent” legislation: twice for the absence of the required labelling (part 4, article 19.34 of the Administrative Code) and once for failing to provide a report (part 2, article 19.34 of the Administrative Code). Two administrative offences under article 19.34 within one year are grounds for initiating a case under the corresponding criminal code article (article 330.1 of the Criminal Code).

In March this year, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs put the sex education campaigner on the federal wanted list. At the time, it was unknown under which article of the Criminal Code she was being sought.