The Russian LGBT Network, a major LGBTQ rights group, said it is shutting down because its 'extremist' designation made continued public work impossible and would endanger those who participated in, supported, or received help from the organization.
In a statement on its Telegram channel, the group said it will no longer conduct public activities, has no representatives, and its activists are ceasing operations. Its social media accounts will be deleted in the coming days.
The decision came 'after a serious risk assessment,' the group said, emphasizing that 'people's safety comes first.'
The Russian LGBT Network, an interregional movement founded in 2006, provided legal, psychological, and emergency assistance to LGBTQ people and worked on their rights and social adaptation.
In late April, the St. Petersburg City Court granted a lawsuit by the Justice Ministry and declared the organization 'extremist,' banning its activities. The case was heard behind closed doors. Since 2021, the group had also been on the 'foreign agents' registry.
Initially, the group's representatives said they would continue working, but four months later reversed that decision. The actual scaling back of assistance began earlier: since February, the Russian LGBT Network and affiliated organizations have temporarily or fully suspended direct and emergency support, keeping financial aid mostly for political activists and defendants in criminal cases.
One of the network's key activities was evacuating LGBTQ people from Chechnya. In 2020, David Istejev, a staff member, said the group had helped about 200 people leave the republic, with 136 assisted in departing Russia.