Russia intensifies crackdown on LGBT community, labels it 'terrorist'

The Russian Federal Monitoring Service has recently classified the "international LGBT social movement" as a terrorist and extremist organization. This development has activists in the country worried, anticipating that arrests of LGBT activists will now be more frequent and easier to justify.

Homophobia in Russia has reached unprecedented levels. In November 2023, the country's Supreme Court labeled the LGBT movement as extremist, effectively banning its activities. This ruling is now being enforced by the Rosfinmonitoring, which has officially listed the non-existent "international LGBT social movement" among terrorist and extremist organizations.

This information, disclosed by the Nexta agency on the X platform (formerly Twitter), highlights the peculiar situation given that no such specific organization exists within Russia. Russian activist Elle Solomon expressed concerns in December, noting, "Arrests of activists are likely to become widespread and easier to justify. Merely displaying a rainbow element in public could be enough. It will now be seen as a symbol of an extremist movement."

Following the Supreme Court's November decision, police conducted raids on clubs and venues frequented by the LGBT community in early December. The listing of the "international LGBT social movement" by Rosfinmonitoring adds another layer of restriction against what the government deems "non-traditional values."

International observers are alarmed, fearing this will lead to more aggressive crackdowns, repression, and arrests of Russians connected to or supportive of the LGBT community.

Vladimir Putin, having been re-elected, continues to position himself as the champion of "traditional values." The stigmatization of people with diverse sexual orientations aligns with Moscow's propaganda efforts. This situation has made expressing one's identity and orientation not only difficult but perilously dangerous in Russia.