More Than 50 People Detained In Russia After Police Raids on Gay Bars

More than 50 people were detained in Moscow, Russia after two gay bars experienced heavy police raids in the Russian capital on October 11.

Photos and videos of these raids were posted on two pro-Russia telegram channels, MSK1 and SHOT, which reported these events on Saturday. One of the posts showed masked police officers storming into the central club in downtown Moscow, with videos of masked police officers shouting and forcing the gay clubgoers to lie down face-forward on the ground. 

One clip by MSK1 showed an officer shoving a detainee against the wall and violently kicking them on the leg as the people got searched.

Police claimed the raid was to ‘fight drug trafficking’

Following reports by Novaya Gazeta Europe, LGBTQNATION stated that Central Station was holding an event marketing National Coming Out Day, which is a globally recognised day, on Friday 11th of October, when the police stormed the venue at 1 am under the pretext of “fighting drug trafficking.”

A video from SHOT shows how one of the attendees is seemingly forced to empty their bag, along with a photo from MSK1 that highlights the contents of the bag laid out on the floor.

50 people detained in gay bar raids in Russia: no information given on where they are

According to reports by Novaya Gazeta Europe, there were around 200 members in the Central Station club at the time of the raids on the gay bars.

There is no information on what happened to the over 50 people who were detained or where they were taken.

As SHOT reported, another popular Central Moscow LQBTQI+ venue, Three Monkeys, was raided the same night. The channel stated that the raid was followed by “civilian complaints” as Moscow residents allegedly reported the club to the police earlier in the week for “all sorts of naughty things”.

LGBTQNATION also highlights a post  by SHOT from October 7, including photos and video of drag performers at Three Monkeys, stating that locals reportedly complained of “Half-naked men dressed as women dance around the stage, and the guy guests [kissing] each other freely.”

The same owners manage Central Station and Three Monkeys, two of Moscow’s most popular LGBTQI+ venues. 

Another pro-Russian telegram channel, Mash, also posted videos of drag shows at Central Station allegedly mocking Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine during a show. The channel said that the venue and Three Monkeys could be shut down for “discrediting the Russian army”.

Russia continues enacting heavy anti-LGBT policy and law

Last week’s raid is not the first time Russia has cracked down on the LGBTQ community or raided their venues in Moscow.

Ever since the country’s Supreme Court outlawed LGBTQ activism in November last year, there have been reports of raids on LGBTQ+ venues in Moscow and Saint Petersburg, with instances of clubs shutting down due to threats from police officers.