Police raids took place in Moscow on nightclubs frequented by the LGBTQ+ community as well as a men’s sauna, in what appears to be a coordinated operation, Russian media reported on Saturday.
This comes two days after the ban in the country of the “international LGBT movement” for “extremism”, in the midst of a conservative offensive targeting these communities.
At a nightclub in the Russian capital, police “stopped the music” and began searching the premises, a witness told news outlet Ostorozhno Novosti.
The agents photographed the passports of those present, he said.
At least three establishments and a men’s sauna were targeted by these raids, according to SOTA and Ostorozhno Novosti media.
AFP was not immediately able to verify this information.
On Friday evening, the Central Station nightclub, 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 an instrument of homophobic repression, already prohibited the “propaganda” of “non-traditional sexual relations”, under penalty of a fine, but Thursday’s ban opens the way to prison sentences.
In Russia, repression against LGBTQ+ people is getting tougher, with the country positioning itself as the standard bearer of “traditional” values in the face of the supposed decadence of the West.
The last decade has seen their rights drastically limited, under the leadership of Vladimir Putin, supported by the Orthodox Church.