Stand behind Ukrainian independent journalism when it’s needed most. Help us reach 20,000 members.

Skip to content
Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed a gathering in Moscow on Sept 20, 2022, marking the 220th anniversary of the Justice Ministry. (Grigory Sysoyev/Sputnik/AFP via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Russia's Justice Ministry will seek to ban the "anti-Russian separatist movement" as an "extremist" organization, the ministry said on April 26.

The organization is loosely described, but characterized as having the goal of trying to "destroy the multinational unity and territorial integrity of Russia."

Russia has previously banned vaguely defined "extremist" groups, such as the "international LGBT social movement," which was outlawed by Russia's Supreme Court in November 2023.

It was not clear what precisely the court meant by the "international LGBT movement" and if the ban applied to any specific organizations or the entire LGBT community, including those who are not affiliated with any organized group.

The Russian independent outlet OVD-Info similarly reported that it was unable to find a formal organization called the "anti-Russian separatist movement."

European Parliament condemns Putin’s election as illegitimate
The European Parliament overwhelmingly adopted a resolution condemning Russian President Vladimir Putin’s March presidential election as illegitimate, Ukrinform reported on April 25.

Laws in Russia, including the label of "extremist," are often enforced arbitrarily or used to target perceived opponents of the regime.

Igor Krasnov, the head of the short-lived presidential campaign of Russian anti-war politician Boris Nadezhdin, was arrested in March and sentenced to six days in prison for "propagating extremist LGBT."

The charge reportedly stemmed from a message Krasnov sent on the Telegram messaging app that contained the rainbow flag emoji.

There have been separatist movements in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union, namely in Chechnya, which was ultimately crushed by the Russian military after two bloody wars.

While Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has renewed analysis of Russia as an imperial power and caused related calls for decolonization, actual separatist movements on the ground have not gained significant public traction.

The promotion of separatism is a crime in Russia.

Court in Russia rejects Google’s appeal over $50 million fine related to Ukraine content
Google’s legal problems with Russia preceded the full-scale war. The company was fined 7.2 billion rubles ($92.6 million) in December 2021 for failing to take down content that Russia has banned.

Independent journalism needs a community —
not a paywall.

We’re working hard to show the world the truth of Russia’s brutal war — and we’re keeping it free for everyone, because reliable information should be available to all.

Our goal: reach 20,000 members to prove independent journalism can survive without paywalls, billionaires, or compromise. Will you help us do it?

Can we reach 20,000 members?

News Feed

11:51 PM

Trump 'very surprised, disappointed' at Russian attacks on Ukraine amid peace talks.

"I've gotten to see things I was very surprised at. Rockets being shot into cities like Kyiv during a negotiation that was maybe very close to ending," Trump said during a news conference in the Oval Office. "All of a sudden rockets got shot into a couple of cities and people died. I saw thing I was surprised at and I don't like being surprised, so I'm very disappointed in that way."
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.