A gay bar owner and two employees in Russia have received prison sentences ranging from two to seven years following their involvement in hosting drag shows, marking the country’s first criminal case targeting individuals accused of belonging to the “international LGBT movement.” The incident occurred in the city of Orenburg, near the Kazakhstan border, and reflects Moscow’s intensified crackdown on the LGBT community amid its broader campaign to promote traditional values.
In March 2024, armed police, accompanied by members of a local ultra-conservative group, raided the Pose bar, where the three men were arrested on charges related to LGBT “extremism.” The court found the defendants guilty of organising events described as demonstrating solidarity with people of “non-traditional sexual orientation,” a term used in Russian legal language for LGBT identities.
Vyacheslav Hasanov, 37, the bar’s owner, was sentenced to seven years in prison. Dania Kamilyanova, 30, who managed the establishment, received a six-year and three-month term, while the art director, Alexander Klimov, 23, was given a two-year and three-month sentence. Additionally, Hasanov’s business revenue amounting to one million rubles (approximately £10,000) was confiscated, and all three were barred from working in the entertainment or hospitality sectors for up to three years after their release. The verdict was issued in closed-door court proceedings and is subject to appeal.
Pose, which opened in 2021 as Orenburg’s first LGBT-themed venue following Russia’s ban on “LGBT propaganda,” became a focal point amid growing state pressure. Hasanov also launched a sister venue in Ufa, Bashkortostan, operating as a drag show bar-theatre, which managed to avoid prosecution for a time despite the Kremlin’s escalating persecution of the LGBT community following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. However, conservative groups lodged complaints leading to the venue’s closure.
The crackdown on LGBT activities in Russia has intensified since the Supreme Court designated the “LGBT movement” as an extremist organization in 2023, equating it with terrorism. This designation aligns with President Vladimir Putin’s campaign to reinforce traditional values and foster the role of Orthodox Christianity in Russian society.
The authorities have frequently targeted gay clubs and public displays of LGBT symbols, with law enforcement conducting raids, arrests, and issuing fines or prison sentences for acts deemed as promoting “LGBT propaganda.” In one notable incident, police forcibly removed attendees from a party in Tula, subjecting them to violence in freezing conditions.
The government has also broadened its repression to religious matters. Last month, Ksenia Belousova, a former bar employee in Moscow, was sentenced to three years in prison for “insulting the feelings of religious believers” after posting a social media image of an Easter-themed cake accompanied by a provocative caption.
These cases underscore the tightening restrictions on civil liberties in Russia, particularly concerning sexual minorities and freedom of expression, amid a wider effort by the Kremlin to assert ideological and cultural control.