Russia LGBT: Police raid Moscow gay clubs

News Express |2nd Dec 2023 | 480
Russia LGBT: Police raid Moscow gay clubs

Russian police officers




Police in Moscow have raided several gay clubs, local media report, a day after Russias Supreme Court moved to outlaw the LGBT movement.

Club goers were briefly held and their passports were photographed during the raids late on Friday, Telegram channel Ostorozhno Novosti said.

One attendee told the channel he feared he would be given a lengthy jail term.

The police said they were searching for drugs, Ostorozhno Novosti said. City officials have not commented so far.

In the middle of the party, the music was stopped, and [police] began going into the lounges, one eyewitness told the outlet, adding that foreigners were also present at the gathering in central Moscow.

Sota, another Telegram channel, said three clubs were raided on Friday evening in the Russian capital.

Photos and a video have emerged on social media purportedly showing a police van and officers outside one of the clubs.

The raids came a day after Russias Supreme Court declared what it described as the LGBT public movement an extremist organisation and banned its activities across the country.

The ruling was prompted by a motion from the justice ministry, although no such organisation exists as a legal entity.

Russias constitution was changed in 2020 to make it clear that marriage meant a union between a man and a woman. Same-sex unions are not recognised in Russia.

In recent years the countrys LGBT community has come under increasing pressure from the authorities, says the BBCs Steve Rosenberg in Moscow. In 2013 a law was adopted prohibiting propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations aimed at minors.

Last year, those restrictions were extended to all age groups in Russia. References to LGBT people have been deleted from books, films, adverts and TV shows.

Earlier this month, one Russian TV channel discoloured a rainbow in a South Korean pop video, to avoid being accused of violating the gay propaganda law. (BBC)




Comments

Post Comment

Man kills soldier with log of wood in Lagos, neutralised without delay

Man kills soldier with log of wood in Lagos, neutralised without delay

There’s Christian genocide in Nigeria, we welcome US intervention — CAN

There’s Christian genocide in Nigeria, we welcome US intervention — CAN

Why I slept with our maid — Married man tells court

Why I slept with our maid — Married man tells court

One of 25 abducted Kebbi schoolgirls escapes as army intensifies search for others

One of 25 abducted Kebbi schoolgirls escapes as army intensifies search for others

Organ-harvesting: Police nab suspect, rescue 4 victims

Organ-harvesting: Police nab suspect, rescue 4 victims

Nigeria's Oluwafunke Adeoye wins 2025 IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer Award

Nigeria's Oluwafunke Adeoye wins 2025 IBA Outstanding Young Lawyer Award

Lagos court sentences randy man to life imprisonment for defiling minor

Lagos court sentences randy man to life imprisonment for defiling minor

Sacrilege: Yobe community condemns grave’s desecration, pledges to support police investigation

Sacrilege: Yobe community condemns grave’s desecration, pledges to support police investigation

Lagos Govt. postpones planned Lekki-Ajah road rehabilitation

Lagos Govt. postpones planned Lekki-Ajah road rehabilitation

Alleged abuse of office: Otu dissolves Cross River LG Service Board

Alleged abuse of office: Otu dissolves Cross River LG Service Board

Saheed V The People of Lagos: When security is life (1)

Saheed V The People of Lagos: When security is life (1)

Open Letter to President Tinubu: Serial disobedience of court orders – Urgent request for Executive Intervention in the prosecution of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and consideration of a nolle prosequi

Open Letter to President Tinubu: Serial disobedience of court orders – Urgent request for Executive Intervention in the prosecution of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and consideration of a nolle prosequi

Ebonyi Labour Party chieftain drags alleged attackers to court

Ebonyi Labour Party chieftain drags alleged attackers to court

Catholic Priest shot dead, several residents abducted as gunmen storm Kaduna community

Catholic Priest shot dead, several residents abducted as gunmen storm Kaduna community

44 Federal Lawmakers write Tinubu, seek Nnamdi Kanu’s release

44 Federal Lawmakers write Tinubu, seek Nnamdi Kanu’s release

Pro-Wike PDP NEC expels Makinde, Bala Mohammed, Bode George, others

Pro-Wike PDP NEC expels Makinde, Bala Mohammed, Bode George, others

Security fears deepen over schoolgirls’ abduction, slain General amid new assaults

Security fears deepen over schoolgirls’ abduction, slain General amid new assaults

APC group charges Nentawe not to reduce his office, to focus on delivering Tinubu

APC group charges Nentawe not to reduce his office, to focus on delivering Tinubu

Gunmen kill Ebonyi commissioner’s brother

Gunmen kill Ebonyi commissioner’s brother

Senate halts consideration of Cocoa Management Board Bill after Tinubu’s request

Senate halts consideration of Cocoa Management Board Bill after Tinubu’s request

Tuesday, November 18, 2025 5:59 PM
ADVERTISEMENT

Follow us on

GOCOP Accredited Member

GOCOP Accredited member
logo

NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s leading online newspaper. Published by Africa’s international award-winning journalist, Mr. Isaac Umunna, NEWS EXPRESS is Nigeria’s first truly professional online daily newspaper. It is published from Lagos, Nigeria’s economic and media hub, and has a provision for occasional special print editions. Thanks to our vast network of sources and dedicated team of professional journalists and contributors spread across Nigeria and overseas, NEWS EXPRESS has become synonymous with newsbreaks and exclusive stories from around the world.

Contact

Adetoun Close, Off College Road, Ogba, Ikeja, Lagos State.
+234(0)8098020976, 07013416146, 08066020976
info@newsexpressngr.com

Find us on

Facebook
Twitter

Copyright NewsExpress Nigeria 2025