In late April 2026, 16 young people in Karachay-Cherkessia were detained and taken in for questioning in connection with a criminal case involving a cell of the extremist»international LGBT movement.» According to the group SK SOS, one of the detainees was handcuffed and beaten. An LGBTQ+ dating group on the social network VKontakte was cited as the reason for these law enforcement actions. The alleged creator of the page was charged under Part 1 of Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code (organizing the activities of an extremist organization).

Earlier in April, executives from the major publishing house Eksmo were questioned over the publication of books deemed to contain «propaganda of same-sex relationships,» which the investigators also classified as «carrying out the activities of an extremist organization.» On July 3, Artem Vakhlyaev, sales director at Eksmo, received a four-year suspended sentence.

Since 2024, at least 32 people across 14 regions have faced LGBT related extremism charges; four have been sentenced to actual prison terms, four more remain in custody awaiting sentencing, two are under house arrest, and one died in detention. At least 134 administrative cases involving «LGBT symbols» have been filed in courts, including cases concerning rainbow-colored earrings and «collaged images of hands framing a face, accompanied by hearts of various sizes, shapes, and colors, symbolizing same-sex love.»

All of this is a consequence of designating the non-existent «international LGBT movement» as an extremist organization — and, more broadly, a consequence of the state’s agenda as articulated in its counter-extremism strategy.

This report by OVD-Info explains how the law that allows the state to designate groups and organizations as extremist works and what its practical consequences are.