Russian Police Raids Bars, Arrests Director of Gay Travel Agency on Anniversary of LGBT Prosecutions
Russian police raided multiple bars and nightclubs in Moscow early Saturday, arresting the director of a gay travel agency under laws criminalizing “LGBT propaganda,” according to state media reports. The raids came on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s Supreme Court outlawing the “international LGBT movement,” paving the way for arrests and prosecutions of the country’s already repressed LGBTQ community.
At least three bars and nightclubs, including the popular Arma nightclub, were targeted by police, with social media videos showing clubgoers being arrested and removed from the premises. The interior ministry also announced that an unnamed nightclub on Skladochnaya Street, identified as “Inferno Night,” was raided for “propagandizing the ideology of the banned LGBT movement.”
In addition to the bar raids, police arrested the 48-year-old director of “Men Travel,” a gay travel agency, on suspicion of “organizing tours for members of the LGBT community.” The agency director was suspected of planning a trip for “supporters of non-traditional sexual values” to Egypt for the New Year holidays.
The raids are part of a broader crackdown on LGBTQ individuals and organizations in Russia, which rights groups say has seen unprecedented levels of repression and discrimination. The country has also become increasingly conservative since launching its military assault on Ukraine, with the Kremlin framing the conflict as a battle against Western values.