Authorities in Moscow have conducted raids at several bars and apprehended the head of a travel agency catering to the gay community, according to reports from state media regarding laws that penalize “LGBT propaganda.”
The operations coincided with the one-year anniversary of the Russian Supreme Court’s decision to ban the “international LGBT movement,” which has facilitated arrests and legal actions against the already marginalized LGBTQ population in the country.
Russian law enforcement reportedly targeted at least three bars and nightclubs overnight “as part of actions aimed at countering LGBT propaganda,” as stated by the TASS news agency.
Footage shared on social media from the Arma nightclub, which previously housed the Mutabor venue, depicted partygoers on the dancefloor while riot police circulated, issuing commands.
The interior ministry confirmed that police also conducted a raid at an undisclosed nightclub on Skladochnaya Street for “promoting the ideology of the prohibited LGBT movement.”
The Interfax news agency identified the establishment as “Inferno Night.”
Additionally, law enforcement in the capital detained the director of a travel agency aimed at gay men on accusations of “arranging trips for individuals within the LGBT community.”
The 48-year-old head of “Men Travel” was alleged to be “organizing a journey for advocates of non-traditional sexual values to visit Egypt for the New Year celebrations,” as reported by TASS, citing law enforcement sources.
Since initiating its military intervention in Ukraine nearly three years ago, the Kremlin has intensified conservative rhetoric, framing the conflict as a struggle against Western influences and values.
Advocacy organizations report that the nation is enacting an extraordinary crackdown on LGBTQ individuals, resulting in the arrests of gay bar owners and the prosecution of anyone involved in promoting LGBTQ rights.
