New Wave of Repression and the Use of “LGBT Propaganda” Laws in Russia
In October 2025, Russian courts and investigative bodies continued to actively apply the articles on the “promotion of non-traditional sexual relations” and so-called “LGBT extremism.” Over the past several weeks, new verdicts have been issued, additional administrative and criminal cases have been opened, and the total amount of fines for the first half of 2025 has reached tens of millions of rubles.
Moscow: Triple Fine and Arrest for Images on VKontakte
On October 23, a Moscow judge imposed three fines on Ivan R. under Article 6.21 § 3 of the Administrative Code (“promotion of non-traditional sexual relations”) and sentenced him to 15 days of administrative arrest under Article 20.3 (“display of extremist symbols”).
The charges concerned images posted on VKontakte:
New Protocols Against Igor Kochetkov
In St Petersburg, two magistrates registered new protocols on “LGBT propaganda” against human-rights defender and gay activist Igor Kochetkov. One case was assigned to Judicial District No. 45, another to No. 150. Earlier, a similar protocol had circulated between Districts 45 and 147; it is possible that one of the new entries refers to the same material.
Moscow: Closed-Door Trial of Sasha Kazantseva
On October 20, Judge Dmitry Budinin ruled that the in-absentia criminal case against queer activist and blogger Sasha Kazantseva would be heard behind closed doors.
She is charged with “discrediting the army,” “failure to fulfill the obligations of a foreign agent,” and “inducement to participate in an extremist organization” — reportedly under Case No. 14 on ‘LGBT extremism.’
A Series of Fines in Moscow
That same day, a Moscow court found a man guilty of “LGBT propaganda” and 13 counts of insulting the feelings of believers. The rulings have not been published. Another Moscow resident was fined 224,000 rubles for 34 posts containing “LGBT propaganda,” according to TASS, which provided no further details. According to the outlet Verstka, Russian courts imposed at least 20.7 million rubles in fines for “LGBT propaganda” cases in the first half of 2025 alone.
St Petersburg, Kirov, and Other Regions
On October 13, another case under Article 6.21 § 3 (“LGBT propaganda”) was filed in St Petersburg’s Judicial District No. 147 against Igor Kochetkov.
On October 10, the Investigative Committee in Kirov summoned deputy chair of the regional Yabloko party branch Polina Kuskova as a “witness” in the fifth known “LGBT extremism” case — against the local club Black Clover. Among the written questions investigators sent were: “Do you identify as a person of non-traditional sexual orientation?” and “Did the artists engage in tactile contact during performances?”
That same day, a Moscow court fined Egor Gorozha 200,000 rubles for alleged “LGBT propaganda” on VKontakte and Telegram; evidence was based on a video made by a Center for Extremism Prevention officer reviewing his accounts.
Also published that day was the decision fining Wikipedia 3 million rubles (June 23 ruling) for “promotion of pedophilia” — citing articles about the anime Boku no Pico and the genre shotacon; both pages remain accessible.
Earlier in October
On October 9, Rosfinmonitoring added Sasha Kazantseva to the official list of terrorists and extremists. That same day, a Moscow court fined blogger Ilya Kostyakov 500,000 rubles for “promotion of pedophilia”; two days earlier he had already received five fines totaling 750,000 rubles for “LGBT propaganda.”
In St Petersburg, a court issued three fines to journalist and blogger Vadim Vaganov for “failure to fulfill the duties of a foreign agent.”
A Moscow judicial district published six rulings fining blogger Veronika Koshkina for “LGBT propaganda” — four for Telegram posts and two for Instagram posts. Each fine was reduced to the minimum, 50,000 rubles, for a total of 300,000 rubles.
On October 8, analytics service TGStat restricted access to audience data for queer media Most and the Russian LGBT Network’s Telegram channel, citing “prohibited content.”
That same day, Roskomnadzor ordered YouTuber Ksenia Sobchak to delete an interview episode with singer Sergey Grigoryev-Apollonov; she confirmed compliance.
On October 5, a court in Novosibirsk sentenced Konstantin Suftin to five days of arrest for “displaying extremist LGBT symbols” in his personal Telegram account.
In Moscow, the court began hearings in the seventh known ‘LGBT extremism’ case, targeting entrepreneur Andrey Kotov, who died in pre-trial detention. Proceedings are being held in closed session.
Context: Fourteen Known “LGBT Extremism” Cases
According to researcher Itil Temnaya, as of October 2025 there are at least 14 known criminal cases opened under articles on “organizing the activities of an extremist organization” against LGBT individuals, activists, and business owners:
Moscow: Triple Fine and Arrest for Images on VKontakte
On October 23, a Moscow judge imposed three fines on Ivan R. under Article 6.21 § 3 of the Administrative Code (“promotion of non-traditional sexual relations”) and sentenced him to 15 days of administrative arrest under Article 20.3 (“display of extremist symbols”).
The charges concerned images posted on VKontakte:
- a drawing of two naked men engaged in sexual relations,
- an image of two men kissing with the caption “That could’ve been us, but you skipped P.E.,”
- a photo of two half-naked men hugging.
New Protocols Against Igor Kochetkov
In St Petersburg, two magistrates registered new protocols on “LGBT propaganda” against human-rights defender and gay activist Igor Kochetkov. One case was assigned to Judicial District No. 45, another to No. 150. Earlier, a similar protocol had circulated between Districts 45 and 147; it is possible that one of the new entries refers to the same material.
Moscow: Closed-Door Trial of Sasha Kazantseva
On October 20, Judge Dmitry Budinin ruled that the in-absentia criminal case against queer activist and blogger Sasha Kazantseva would be heard behind closed doors.
She is charged with “discrediting the army,” “failure to fulfill the obligations of a foreign agent,” and “inducement to participate in an extremist organization” — reportedly under Case No. 14 on ‘LGBT extremism.’
A Series of Fines in Moscow
That same day, a Moscow court found a man guilty of “LGBT propaganda” and 13 counts of insulting the feelings of believers. The rulings have not been published. Another Moscow resident was fined 224,000 rubles for 34 posts containing “LGBT propaganda,” according to TASS, which provided no further details. According to the outlet Verstka, Russian courts imposed at least 20.7 million rubles in fines for “LGBT propaganda” cases in the first half of 2025 alone.
St Petersburg, Kirov, and Other Regions
On October 13, another case under Article 6.21 § 3 (“LGBT propaganda”) was filed in St Petersburg’s Judicial District No. 147 against Igor Kochetkov.
On October 10, the Investigative Committee in Kirov summoned deputy chair of the regional Yabloko party branch Polina Kuskova as a “witness” in the fifth known “LGBT extremism” case — against the local club Black Clover. Among the written questions investigators sent were: “Do you identify as a person of non-traditional sexual orientation?” and “Did the artists engage in tactile contact during performances?”
That same day, a Moscow court fined Egor Gorozha 200,000 rubles for alleged “LGBT propaganda” on VKontakte and Telegram; evidence was based on a video made by a Center for Extremism Prevention officer reviewing his accounts.
Also published that day was the decision fining Wikipedia 3 million rubles (June 23 ruling) for “promotion of pedophilia” — citing articles about the anime Boku no Pico and the genre shotacon; both pages remain accessible.
Earlier in October
On October 9, Rosfinmonitoring added Sasha Kazantseva to the official list of terrorists and extremists. That same day, a Moscow court fined blogger Ilya Kostyakov 500,000 rubles for “promotion of pedophilia”; two days earlier he had already received five fines totaling 750,000 rubles for “LGBT propaganda.”
In St Petersburg, a court issued three fines to journalist and blogger Vadim Vaganov for “failure to fulfill the duties of a foreign agent.”
A Moscow judicial district published six rulings fining blogger Veronika Koshkina for “LGBT propaganda” — four for Telegram posts and two for Instagram posts. Each fine was reduced to the minimum, 50,000 rubles, for a total of 300,000 rubles.
On October 8, analytics service TGStat restricted access to audience data for queer media Most and the Russian LGBT Network’s Telegram channel, citing “prohibited content.”
That same day, Roskomnadzor ordered YouTuber Ksenia Sobchak to delete an interview episode with singer Sergey Grigoryev-Apollonov; she confirmed compliance.
On October 5, a court in Novosibirsk sentenced Konstantin Suftin to five days of arrest for “displaying extremist LGBT symbols” in his personal Telegram account.
In Moscow, the court began hearings in the seventh known ‘LGBT extremism’ case, targeting entrepreneur Andrey Kotov, who died in pre-trial detention. Proceedings are being held in closed session.
Context: Fourteen Known “LGBT Extremism” Cases
According to researcher Itil Temnaya, as of October 2025 there are at least 14 known criminal cases opened under articles on “organizing the activities of an extremist organization” against LGBT individuals, activists, and business owners:
- Orenburg — gay club Pose (March 2024)
- Samara — activist Artyom Fokin (May 2024)
- Inza — medical-center director Ilya Zhuravlyov (March 2025, three years in colony)
- Chita — club Jackson (October 2024)
- Kirov — club Black Clover (November 2024)
- Voronezh — club Zebra (November 2024)
- Moscow — men’s travel agency Men Travel (director Andrey Kotov, deceased in detention)
- Tula — Pavel Ivanyuk (September 2025, two years suspended)
- Cherkessk — unconfirmed case (February 2025)
- Guryevsk — inmate given +6 years for alleged involvement (February 2025)
- Moscow — “publishers’ case,” Popcorn Books (May 2025)
- Yaroslavl Region — activist Yaroslav Sirotkin (June 2025, in exile)
- Omsk — activist Nikolai Rodkin (June 2025, in exile)
- Moscow — Sasha Kazantseva (October 2025, in exile)