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Such a lawsuit has been filed at the St Petersburg City Court, and it will be heard on 24 February at 12:00. OVD-Info was informed about the lawsuit by the press service of the “LGBT Network.”
They noted that the “LGBT Network” is the largest interregional movement in Russia defending the rights of LGBTQ+ people, and has been working since 2006. The organisation recalled that this is not the first time they have faced pressure from the authorities.
“Now we are witnessing the peak of pressure—an attempt to declare our activities to support and defend the rights of the LGBTQ+ community in Russia illegal. As an organisation operating throughout almost every region of Russia, we do not agree with this and will defend our position in court,” said Natalia Solovyova, chair of the “LGBT Network” board, as quoted in the press release.
In November 2021, the “LGBT Network” was added to the list of “foreign agents.”
18:39 The press service for the courts in St Petersburg reported that a separate lawsuit has also been filed seeking to recognise the LGBTQ+ group “Vykhod” (“Coming Out”) as an extremist organisation. According to the case list on the St Petersburg City Court website, this suit will also be heard on 24 February at 12:30.
The court’s press service clarified that both hearings will be held behind closed doors “due to the presence of a ‘Secret’ classification.”
The “Vykhod” team left Russia in its entirety back in 2022. Its former director, Alexander Voronov, was arrested in absentia as part of a criminal case concerning the failure to comply with “foreign agent” obligations (part 2, article 330.1 of the Criminal Code).
3 February “First Department” reported that the Ministry of Justice has also requested to declare another organisation helping queer people as extremist—the LGBT+ “Irida” public organisation of Samara. (Samara, a large city on the Volga River.) The relevant lawsuit was filed with the Samara Regional Court in November 2025, but since jurisdiction was elsewhere, the case was transferred for consideration in January 2026.
In 2024, the president of “Irida,” Artem Fokin, had their home searched in connection with an “extremist community” case (Article 282.1 of the Criminal Code). Two months later, they were added to the “terrorists and extremists” list. In 2022, “Irida” itself was included in the register of “foreign agents.”
- On 30 November 2023, Russia’s Supreme Court declared the non-existent “International Public LGBT Movement” to be an extremist organisation. Based on this decision, Russians have been prosecuted for displaying a rainbow (now regarded as extremist organisation symbolism). There have also been a number of criminal cases against queer people, drag artists, and staff and managers of bars, clubs and other businesses that law enforcement link to LGBTQ+ people.