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The Russian LGBT Network, founded in 2006 and best known for rescuing gay men from Chechnya's purges, is dissolving after a court branded it an extremist organization — one of nine such rulings against LGBTQ+ groups this year alone.
A Russian publisher printed Pope Francis's autobiography with entire passages about LGBTQ+ people redacted with solid black bars — a small but telling episode in Russia's ongoing 'propaganda' crackdown.
Daniil Neonov posted a campaign video in a shirt reading 'LOVE' in rainbow letters. A Moscow court ruled it 'extremist,' gave him the maximum sentence, and barred him from running again.
A Russian court branded Parni+ 'extremist' in April, scattering its journalists across Georgia, Montenegro, Turkey, Spain, and beyond. They're still reporting, from wherever they've landed.
A Russian schoolboy showed classmates a video. Three years after the Kremlin declared the 'international LGBT movement' extremist, that was enough to put him on a juvenile offender registry and threaten his removal from school.
Two of the most established LGBTQ+ organizations still operating inside Russia were declared extremist on April 23, 2026 — a move that effectively criminalizes nearly two decades of community work and sexual health outreach.
The president put his signature to the Russian-style bill on April 15. Two days later, seven UN human rights experts issued a joint statement warning the law legitimizes persecution of an already marginalized community.
A regional Russian outlet was hit with an 'LGBT propaganda' fine over a review of the hockey drama Heated Rivalry — the clearest sign yet that Russia is policing cultural criticism, not just content.
The Belarusian parliament approved a sweeping anti-LGBTQ+ bill this week, copying Russia's playbook. Advocates say it criminalizes existence — not just expression.
