Russian court bans prominent gay rights group

April 27, 2026 3:21 PM EDT

April 27 (Reuters) - A ‌Russian ​court ​branded a top gay rights group as extremist on Monday ‌and banned it from operating in the ⁠country, the latest in a long series ‌of moves to sideline ‌LGBT+ activists.

A court in St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, said it had ​ruled in favour of an appeal by Russia's Justice Ministry to declare "extremist" ⁠the Russian LGBT Network.

The ruling said the decision, handed ​down at a closed sitting, imposed a ban on the group's ​activities throughout the country.

Russian ‌authorities have long campaigned against gay rights groups, intensifying legal ⁠moves against activists in recent years as part of what President Vladimir Putin ⁠describes as a drive to uphold family values.

A ​Russian state body added what it described as the "LGBT movement" to a list of extremist ‌and terrorist organisations in 2024. That listing referred to the "international LGBT ‌social movement and its structural units".

The ⁠country's Supreme Court ‌had issued ​a similar ruling in 2023.

(Reporting by Ronald Popeski; Editing by David ‌Gregorio)



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