Parties in Socks and Burning Passports: State Pressure on Moral Grounds: Human rights news, court updates & analysis | 27 related articles

18.08.2025

13:02

Three first-year students at the Stroganov Moscow State Academy of Arts and Industry have been expelled after Orthodox activists reported a TikTok video showing them dancing near the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. This was reported by Groza, citing one of its readers.

On 2 June, the “Sorok Sorokov” movement drew attention to a TikTok post featuring three young women dancing in front of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in central Moscow. The video was apparently filmed at the end of May. Orthodox activists posted about it in their Telegram channel, which has 12,000 subscribers, and urged supporters to send appeals to the Investigative Committee requesting that the women be prosecuted under criminal law.

According to Groza, on 5 June, a Stroganov Academy lecturer wrote in a student chat that the “incident with the students” had been discussed at a faculty council. The lecturer claimed that, because of the “video of the dance in provocative clothing in front of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour,” a court handed the women a sentence of 11 years of corrective labour for criminal insult of religious feelings (Article 148 of the Criminal Code). After this, the students were expelled.

“Please, watch your behaviour and do not let your life be ruined because of stupidity,” the lecturer wrote to the other students.

However, in July, “Sorok Sorokov” published a response from the Moscow Central Administrative District police department, stating that the students had been held administratively liable for petty hooliganism (Article 20.1 of the Administrative Offences Code). The response also indicates the young women were detained two days after Orthodox activists called for reports to be sent in. There is no mention in the document of a criminal case against them.

16:20 The press service at the Stroganov Academy confirmed the expulsion of the students after the dance near the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, RIA Novosti reports.

“All three first-year students from the Department of Artistic Interior Design have been expelled from the student body by decision of the Stroganov Academy’s Academic Council for violation of public order and insulting the religious feelings of citizens,” reads the university’s statement. They consider the students’ behaviour to be incompatible with the status of a state university student.

22.07.2025

18:54

No fewer than 110 electronic books on feminism, LGBT, and sex education have been removed from the Yandex.Books service. Verstka drew attention to this.

The outlet examined which books are no longer available in themed collections previously made by users. On the “Feminism 101” shelf, created nine years ago, 12 out of 14 books have disappeared. Among them are Anna Shadrina’s “Not Married: Sex, Love and Family Outside Marriage,” as well as Susan Sontag’s “On Women.” The latter book was the reason a protocol was drawn up against the independent St Petersburg bookshop Podpisnye Izdaniya under the “LGBT propaganda” article (part 1 of article 6.21 of the Administrative Code).

Another collection on feminism and sex education has seen the removal of Mary Beard’s “Women & Power: A Manifesto,” Andrzej Gryzewski and Przemysław Pilarski’s “HIM: An Intimate Conversation about That Organ,” Tess Holliday’s “My Body Positive: How I Learned to Love the Body I Live In,” and Lena Klimova’s “Real Girl.”

The service has also deleted books about sexuality in the ancient world. No longer available are Robert van Gulik’s “Sexual Life in Ancient China,” “The History of Sexuality III: The Care of the Self” by prominent French philosopher Michel Foucault, as well as Jonathan Eig’s “The Birth of the Pill: How Four Crusaders Reinvented Sex and Launched a Revolution.”

From shelves featuring LGBTQA literature, books such as Jeanette Winterson’s “Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit” and several others, including English-language titles, have also been removed.

Andrey Tkachenko’s “Sexual Crimes: Chikatilo and Others” has also disappeared from collections.

In mid-May, staff of the publishers Popcorn Books and Individuum were subjected to searches as part of the case concerning the “International LGBT Movement.” Several people have been placed in pre-trial detention.

According to investigators, the accused “out of selfish motives published and sold books promoting the activity of the LGBT movement to an unlimited range of people, among whom were minors.” Detectives considered the distribution of LGBT literature as extremist activity, and claimed that people could become “supporters of the 'International LGBT Public Movement'” as a result of reading such books.

11.07.2025

19:17

In Yekaterinburg, a major city in the Urals, a concert by the punk band Chéterio was disrupted. Witnesses to the events told OVD-Info about the incident.

The concert was supposed to take place at the “New Bar” venue. Police arrived at the bar at 20:20 local time and herded people standing outside into the building. Some of the officers were dressed in black clothing, while others wore military uniforms and balaclavas. Among those who disrupted the concert were representatives of the “Russian Community.”

A police van is parked near the bar. According to preliminary information, several people were detained. One person who reported the events said that attendees were questioned about their attitude toward the war in Ukraine, LGBTQ issues, and certain banned organisations. The security forces also checked the guests’ social media profiles.

The band Chéterio is a project of performer Natasha Chéterio. In 2024, the singer released a music video for the song “Suspended Sentence.”

20:55 Police detained singer Natasha Chéterio, but soon released her. One of the witnesses reported this to OVD-Info.

Chéterio and four others were taken to Police Station No. 5. A few people, including some minors, remain at the station, waiting for their parents to arrive.

As reported by SOTAvision, one person was forcefully detained after arguing with officers. They were handcuffed. There are no police officers left inside the bar.

21:35 The young person who was forcefully detained and handcuffed has now been released. They themselves told OVD-Info about this.

07.07.2025

11:32

Altai Krai

A tribute concert to Noize MC in Barnaul, a major city in Siberia, had to be cancelled following pressure from pro-government activists. This was reported by “7×7,” citing organiser Oleg Grigoryev.

The event had been scheduled for 17 July. “The reason for the cancellation is quite simple: Z-activists woke up, and, as I understand it, it wasn’t any particular group but rather individual citizens. First, they left negative comments under the concert announcement post, then started sending private messages. One man was especially active and I believe he ‘helped’ in this situation, since we were made to understand ‘from above’ that it would be better to cancel the concert to avoid consequences,” Grigoryev explained. He added that previously, he had freely held tribute concerts in the city for anti-war performers such as Zemfira, Pornofilmy, and Nervy.

“7×7” also noted that activists from the Young Guard of United Russia may have contributed to the event’s cancellation. One of them, Elena Bessonova, wrote under a post about the cancellation: “We didn’t let it happen, together.”

In November 2022, Noize MC (real name Ivan Alekseyev) was declared a “foreign agent.” The musician left Russia after the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

30.06.2025

18:40

Temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea

A 46-year-old photographer from Yalta is facing charges over a collage featuring aerial gymnasts in a church. This was reported by the Crimean Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The man is accused under the article on violating legislation regarding freedom of conscience, freedom of religion, and religious associations (Part 2, Article 5.26 of the Code of Administrative Offences). His photograph depicted aerial gymnasts performing routines in the fourteenth-century Armenian church Surb Yegia.

As reported by the Telegram channel “ChP Crimea,” at first the police thought the photoshoot was real: “The gymnasts performed tricks on aerial silks suspended from the dome of the ruined, but still visited, church. The Armenian community regarded what happened as desecration of the shrine. The photographer has already apologised and deleted the pictures. The police are dealing with participants in the photoshoot,” the publication stated. It was later discovered that the images of the gymnasts were superimposed onto the photo of the church with Photoshop. The photographer explained that they had no intention of offending the feelings of believers, and made the collage because they “liked the beauty and grandeur of the site.”

21.06.2025

20:54

Sverdlovsk Oblast

In Yekaterinburg, a major city in the Urals, security forces carried out a raid at the Syndrom music bar. Eyewitnesses reported this to OVD-Info.

That evening, a punk party was taking place at Syndrom. Among those who burst into the event were both police officers and armed individuals in military uniform. Participants noticed the latter were wearing patches of the far-right “Russian Community.”

The security forces lined attendees up against the wall, checked their phones—including Telegram—looked at their documents, took photographs, and asked questions about where they studied or worked, and about military service.

16:57

Arkhangelsk Oblast

The Lida concert in Arkhangelsk has been cancelled. This was reported by local outlet 29.ru.

Nikolai Romadov, who performs under the stage name Lida, creates music in the pop-rave and synth-punk genres. His concert was due to take place at the M33 venue on the evening of 21 June. The day before, it was revealed that the event had been cancelled. The concert was then rescheduled to the “Ruki Vverkh” bar, but it was subsequently cancelled there as well.

Earlier, the regional children’s rights commissioner, Elena Molchanova, described Lida’s music on social media as “blatant propaganda of vulgarity and depravity.” She was outraged: “Why should such vulgar art be performed in the City of St Michael the Archangel? Let’s not be indifferent, let’s take an active civic stance and prevent the corruption of our children, who, due to their age, still do not understand much.”

18.06.2025

17:16

Primorsky Krai

The Rampa Theatre in Nakhodka (a major city in Primorsky Krai, Russian Far East) cancelled its anti-fascist musical “Cabaret” due to “reasons beyond its control.” As reported by journalist Anna Sharipova, the local authorities banned the performance. This was noted by “7×7.”

According to Sharipova, Rampa’s director Andrei Yurchenko had planned to hold one closed performance “for friends.” In the end, the actors were not able to perform, and Yurchenko announced that “they have been banned from staging the play on this stage.”

“It’s said that the deputy head [of Nakhodka, Natalya Agritskaya] attended the dress rehearsal. She saw a lot of people in Nazi uniforms, women in stockings, practically orgies. But that’s just hearsay. The idea is that she was scared someone from the audience would film it and then Nakhodka would make headlines across Russia, that the municipal Youth Centre is showing Nazis and debauchery,” Sharipova told “7×7.”

The journalist noted that Rampa is an amateur theatre without its own venue. The actors perform at the municipal Youth Centre, where they also receive their salaries.

A “7×7” source at the theatre confirmed that the musical was cancelled at the request of the Nakhodka administration. According to them, officials even banned the performance for friends, “hinting at consequences in a more damaging form.”

“We’d been working on the show for a year. Costume and set sketches had been created and approved, and the orchestra had learned all the parts for the musical. Then, two weeks before the premiere, officials from the administration came and banned ticket sales (even though sales had already started). <…> The officials just respond in vague terms, saying it’s ‘inappropriate,’ and that’s it,” the source said.

27.05.2025

14:03

Students at Saratov Cossack School No. 43 have been written up for holding a “ceremonial handover of the toilet” to younger children to the tune of criminal underworld songs. This was reported by the Saratov prosecutor’s office and local media outlets.

The “ceremonial handover of the toilet” took place on 20 May. “Along with the toilet, you get the criminal code of conduct,” one of the cadets can be heard saying in a video. After this, the students announced the rules: “No pissing, no shitting. […] Basically, you can’t do anything except smoke.”

The prosecutor’s office clarified that the cadets “shouted phrases promoting an organisation whose activities are banned.” The reference is likely to the “AUE” movement, which has been declared “extremist” in Russia.

“Protocols for administrative offences have been drawn up for participants who are of the age of legal responsibility and their legal guardians, and the review of these cases is being monitored,” the agency reports.

A statement from the local education department described the incident as “bordering on a violation of moral and ethical standards.” Meetings were held with the students and their parents. “The Council of Commanders and Mentors decided to strip the participants in the video of their Cossack ranks and titles. The deputy headteacher for student affairs, the duty administrator and the teacher on floor duty have each received a reprimand,” the statement said.

15.05.2025

15:00

Saratov Oblast

The Saratov teacher Vera Bashkova was dismissed from her school after being accused of “promoting Nazi symbols.” This was reported by the local outlet Vzglyad-Info, citing the teacher’s husband, Vladimir Bashkov. The publication was noted by ASTRA.

The teacher, from the settlement of Teplichny near Saratov in southern Russia, put on a play for Victory Day (9 May) at the school, based on Valentin Kataev’s novella “Son of the Regiment.” Pupils from the third and eighth grades helped stage it.

The play includes a scene where a Nazi interpreter interrogates the main character, the orphan boy Vanya Sontsev. A local official (whose name and position are not specified) took a photo of this scene.

Later, she forwarded the picture to Larisa Sorokina, the deputy head of the social department in the Gagarinsky District. The photo showed a swastika on the sleeve of the schoolgirl playing the interpreter.

After this, Vera Bashkova was summoned to the department. Sorokina “reprimanded the teacher harshly,” demanded that she remove the St George’s ribbon from her chest, saying: “You’re all wearing these!” and demanded that the teacher resign.

“The novella ‘Son of the Regiment’ is a classic of Soviet literature <…>. Accusing a teacher of promoting Nazism because of a play is absurd. <…> My wife has always attached great importance to fostering love for the Motherland. I can’t hold back from commenting on these officials and their actions—they undermine respect for authority and for the very idea of patriotic education,” said Vladimir Bashkov.

Saratov city hall did not comment on Bashkova’s dismissal.

17:30 Officials in the Gagarinsky District of Saratov will carry out an internal investigation following media reports of a teacher’s dismissal over a play about the Second World War. This was reported by TASS, citing the city administration’s press service.

The internal investigation will involve “all those participant in the story: the deputy responsible for social affairs, the administration and the school staff.” It is important “to speak with children about our country’s history” but also “to prevent incorrect interpretations,” the statement said.

16 May Vera Bashkova’s resignation was annulled, reports Vzglyad-Info, citing the teacher.

This happened on the same day following an internal review and Bashkova’s interview with the prosecutor’s office. On that day, news also broke that Denis Buzanov, a deputy of the Saratov regional parliament, called the accusation of promoting Nazism against the teacher “blatant absurdity.” He sent an appeal to the governor, requesting a review of the legality of the woman’s dismissal.

“The resignation letter I was working out until the end of the week on has been annulled. Larisa Sorokina and I reached an amicable agreement and the conflict is resolved. I am satisfied, and the honest name of the teacher has been restored,” Vzglyad-Info quoted Bashkova as saying.

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Parties in Socks and Burning Passports: State Pressure on Moral Grounds

29.01.2025