‘I will pretend not to be me’: Russia cracks down on LGBTQ+ community

Less than 48 hours after global LGBTQ+ movement' banned for being extremist, LGBTQ+-friendly bars were raided

The ink was barely dry on Russia's decision to outlaw what it called the international LGBT public movement" as extremist when masked police raided a bar in central Moscow where Vasili gathered with his friends on Friday nights for an LGBTQ+ party.

It was a regular Friday evening until suddenly we saw the police storming in," Vasili, who asked for his name to be changed because of safety concerns, recalled.