Russian police raid Moscow nightclubs over 'LGBT propaganda'

Russian police raided several bars and nightclubs in Moscow early Saturday under laws criminalizing "LGBT propaganda," state media reported.

During the raids, smartphones, laptops and video cameras were confiscated, while club-goers had their documents checked by officers, according to reports.

Footage shared on social media appeared to show partygoers being ordered by police to lie down on the floor as officers moved through the Arma nightclub in Moscow.

Another video showed people being escorted out of the popular gay club Mono in central Moscow with their hands over their heads as a police van parked outside.

The Interior Ministry said police had also raided an unnamed nightclub on Skladochnaya Street that had been "propagandizing the ideology of the banned LGBT movement."

Police also detained the head of the "Men Travel" travel agency under anti-LGBT laws, state-run news agency TASS reported. The agency said the 48-year-old was suspected of preparing a trip for "supporters of non-traditional sexual values" to Egypt over the Russian New Year holiday.

Anniversary of ban on 'international LGBT movement'

The raids came on the one-year anniversary of Russia's Supreme Court outlawing the "international LGBT movement" as an "extremist organization," paving the way for arrests and prosecutions of the country's already repressed LGBTQ community.

This decision was the culmination of a decades-long crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights in Russia, where President Vladimir Putin has touted what he calls "traditional family values" as a cornerstone of his quarter-century in power.

Since launching its military attack on Ukraine nearly three years ago, the Kremlin has ramped up its conservative rhetoric. It has framed the conflict as a battle against the West and its values.

Other recent laws have also served to put pressure on those the Russian government believes don't conform to the country's "traditional values."

On November 23, Putin signed into law a bill banning the adoption of Russian children by citizens of countries where gender-affirming care is legal.

The Kremlin leader also approved a law banning the distribution of material that encourages people not to have children.

dh/sms (AP, AFP)