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Chronicle of pressure on LGBTQ people

This translation was made by AI

Asya Sokolova for OVD-Info

The adoption of the “LGBT propaganda” law marked not only widespread censorship but also intensified repression against LGBTQ people and the organisations that support them. With the designation of the “International LGBT Movement” as an “extremist organisation,” this pressure has increased once again.

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Today

12:56

Volgograd Oblast

20-year-old Varvara Luch from Volzhsky, a city near Volgograd in southern Russia, was detained for allegedly “promoting LGBT” content on her social media, her partner told OVD-Info.

According to the lawyer representing her, the reason was an “old joke video” in which “a photo of Olga Buzova with a colourful flag flashed briefly.”

23.03.2026

18:58

Zabaykalsky Krai

The owner of a gay club in Chita, a city in eastern Siberia, has been sentenced to four years in prison.

03.03.2026

17:18

Saint Petersburg

The court has declared the LGBTQ+ group “Vyhod” an extremist organisation.

02.02.2026

18:09

Saint Petersburg

The Ministry of Justice has filed lawsuits to have the “Russian LGBT Network” and the “Vykhod” group recognised as extremist organisations.

29.01.2026

13:43

In Moscow, two young people were fined for kissing in a public place

26.11.2025

13:51

Stephen King’s novel “It” has been withdrawn from sale following complaints about the depiction of LGBT relationships.

14.11.2025

10:23

The court has posthumously found the director of a travel agency guilty in a case concerning the organisation of trips for LGBTQ people.

24.09.2025

20:11

The Presnensky District Court in Moscow has fined the publishing house Novoe Literaturnoe Obozrenie 400,000 roubles (US$4,500) under the “LGBT propaganda” law (part 1, article 6.21 of the Administrative Code), Mediazona reports.

The reason was the book Infernal Feminism by Per Faxneld. It was published in 2022 with a print run of 2,000 copies. The court ruled that the publisher was engaging in “ongoing propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” by selling the book at the “Falanster” bookshop. The “signs of propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” in the book were identified by the Russian State Pedagogical University named after Herzen.

The publisher admitted guilt. On 18 August, the books were destroyed in a warehouse “in accordance with the procedure established by law.”

12:33

The Kaliningrad historical reconstruction centre “Kaup” has been fined 800,000 roubles (US$8,700) under the “LGBT propaganda” law (parts 1 and 3 of Article 6.21 of the Code of Administrative Offences), reports Mediazona.

The reason was photographs featuring sex toys and women kissing, which appeared on the project’s social media pages. According to the centre’s director, Anastasia Tarasova, the pictures were taken at an 18+ party called “From Dusk Till Dawn,” which was held on Kaup’s premises by an outside organiser.

The centre is known as “Viking Settlement” and hosts re-enactment festivals and the “Night Kaup” shows. In 2023, the pro-government movement “People’s Call” already complained about its events, accusing the project of “promoting occultism and neo-paganism.” Protocols against the centre had previously been drawn up under the same articles, with the materials reviewed by the Zelenograd district court in Kaliningrad region (on the Baltic Sea, westernmost Russia). Kaup has stated that the accusations are absurd and have nothing to do with their activities.

23.09.2025

16:26

Republic of Tatarstan

Twin brothers from Tatarstan have been fined a total of 200,000 rubles (approximately US$2,200) under the so-called “LGBT propaganda” law (Part 3, Article 6.21 of the Administrative Code). This was reported by Verstka.

The grounds for the charges, filed by Centre “E” officers, were the brothers’ blog on Instagram. The court claims that they “published posts promoting non-traditional sexual relations with a twin brother.”

The young men’s profile has several thousand followers. They post videos of their training, share stories about life in Russia and travelling abroad.

The court did not specify which particular posts police had found to contain “LGBT propaganda.” At the hearing, the brothers partially admitted guilt, explaining that they “had no intention of promoting non-traditional sexual relations.” The court, however, stated that they said this to avoid punishment for the offence.