In a significant move underscoring Russia’s increasingly hardline stance on what it perceives as Western liberalism, the “LGBT movement” has been officially classified among extremist and terrorist organizations by state authorities. This development aligns with a Supreme Court ruling from last year, which stipulated that LGBT activists fall under the category of extremists. This classification by Rosfinmonitoring, an agency with the authority to freeze bank accounts of entities on the list, now includes a wide spectrum from international terrorist groups to tech giants, and notably, the LGBT community’s international and local structural units.
The Broader Crackdown
This decision is part of a broader agenda under President Vladimir Putin to promote what is framed as traditional family values, distinctly opposing what is characterized as Western decadence. Over the past decade, this has manifested in various legislative actions aimed at suppressing LGBT expressions and rights, including the prohibition of “non-traditional” sexual relations advocacy and the ban on legal or medical gender changes. Critics argue this marks a regressive step for human rights and freedom of expression in the country.