Summary

Russian security forces raided three Moscow nightclubs, detaining 12 people on charges of “petty hooliganism” amid anti-LGBTQ enforcement.

The raids occurred a year after Russia’s Supreme Court labeled LGBTQ activism “extremist,” intensifying crackdowns on LGBTQ rights under Putin’s regime.

Videos showed clubgoers forced to the ground, with exits blocked and interrogations conducted. Sporadic raids on LGBTQ spaces have been reported since the 2022 ruling.

Russia’s LGBTQ restrictions, including its expanded “gay propaganda law,” have drawn criticism as part of a broader suppression of LGBTQ communities.