Russian media reported on Saturday that police raids took place in Moscow at nightclubs frequented by the LGBTQ+ community and at a men’s sauna in what appeared to be a coordinated operation.
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This comes two days after the “international LGBT movement” was banned in the country for “extremism,” amid a conservative offensive against these communities.
At a nightclub in the Russian capital, police “stopped the music” and began searching the premises, a witness told media agency Ostorozhno Novosti.
The agents took photos of the passports of those present, he said.
AFP
According to SOTA and Ostorozhno Novosti media, at least three establishments and a men’s sauna were targeted in these raids.
AFP could not immediately verify this information.
On Friday evening, the nightclub “Central Station”, one of the oldest gay clubs in St. Petersburg, announced its closure due to the ban on the “international LGBT movement”.
A law denounced as a tool of homophobic repression already banned “propaganda” of “non-traditional sexual relationships” under penalty of a fine, but Thursday’s ban paves the way to prison sentences.
In Russia, the oppression of LGBT+ people is becoming increasingly harsh, and the country is positioning itself as a standard-bearer of “traditional” values in the face of the West’s supposed decadence.
Over the last decade, their rights have been drastically restricted under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, supported by the Orthodox Church.