Authorities in Moscow have conducted raids on several bars and detained the head of a gay travel agency, according to reports from state media, in actions linked to laws banning “LGBT propaganda,” reports RTE.
These operations coincided with the first anniversary of Russia’s Supreme Court declaring the “international LGBT movement” illegal, which has facilitated arrests and prosecutions against the already marginalized LGBTQ community in the country.
Russian security personnel targeted at least three bars and nightclubs during the night, acting under the guise of efforts to counteract LGBT propaganda, as reported by the state TASS news agency, reports RTE.
Footage shared on social media from the Arma nightclub, previously known as Mutabor, showed patrons seated on the dance floor while riot police moved through the venue issuing commands.
Another clip depicted individuals being escorted from the well-known Mono gay club located in central Moscow with their hands raised, as a police vehicle was stationed outside.
The interior ministry announced that law enforcement had also executed a raid on an unspecified nightclub on Skladochnaya Street that was allegedly “promoting the ideology of the prohibited LGBT movement,” reports RTE.
Interfax identified the establishment as “Inferno Night.”
In addition to the nightclub raids, police in the capital took into custody the director of a travel agency catering to gay men on allegations of “organizing tours for patrons of the LGBT community.”
The 48-year-old head of “Men Travel” was reportedly under investigation for “planning a trip for advocates of non-traditional sexual values to Egypt for the New Year’s celebrations,” according to TASS citing law enforcement sources, reports RTE.
Since initiating its military campaign in Ukraine nearly three years ago, the Kremlin has intensified its conservative narrative, framing the conflict as a fight against Western influences and ideologies.
Advocacy organizations assert that the nation is engaged in an unparalleled crackdown on LGBTQ individuals, with the proprietors of gay bars facing arrests and anyone involved in promoting LGBTQ rights being prosecuted, reports RTE.
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