Russian security forces raided several bars and nightclubs in Moscow on Saturday as part of efforts to combat what is classified as LGBT propaganda. During the operation, police seized electronic devices, weapons and alcohol. Videos shared on social media from the Arma nightclub (formerly known as Mutabor) captured scenes of club-goers sitting on the dance floor as riot police walked around the club.  

The raids come a year after the Russian Supreme Court outlawed the LGBTQ+ movement, labeling its proponents as extremists under newly enacted legislation. Under the Criminal Code of Russia, participation in extremist communities can result in imprisonment of up to two years. Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, condemned the decision, stating, “No one should be imprisoned for engaging in human rights work or deprived of their rights based on sexual orientation or gender identity.”

The LGBT community in Russia has faced escalating challenges since the 2020 amendments to Article 1 of the Family Code, which defined marriage exclusively as a “voluntary conjugal union between a man and a woman”. In 2023, the government further restricted LGBT rights by banning gender-affirming surgeries. Earlier this year, following the enactment of laws criminalizing LGBT propaganda, the Russian media regulator, Roskomnadzor, launched an investigation into the language-learning app Duolingo, accusing it of spreading LGBT propaganda. Additionally, the Federal Service for Monitoring labeled the “LGBT public movement” as a terrorist organization, intensifying the crackdown. Most recently, in November, Russia’s upper house of parliament approved two laws that will prohibit the visibility of LGBT people in media and ban citizens of countries that allow gender transitioning from adopting Russian children.