Throughout the course of occupation of the Crimean peninsula the Russian Federation has been systematically implementing discriminatory policies against members of the LGBT+ community. It has established an atmosphere of fear and hatred in Crimea, which prevents LGBT+ people from fully exercising their rights and forces them to leave their
homes and move to mainland Ukraine or abroad. As of 2014, the number of representatives of the LGBT+ community in Crimea amounted to approximately 16,200 persons, however, the number of people who remain in the territory in 2023 is unknown.

The Russian Federation does not recognize the state of occupation, so it has extended its legislation and law enforcement practices to the peninsula. Formally, the Constitution and sectoral legislation of the Russian Federation enshrine the principle of equality between all persons, but it is not applied in practice. criminal liability for discriminatory acts is not provided for, and the courts never impose administrative sanctions for the violation of the principle of prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Furthermore, labor and family legislation contains discriminatory provisions, as well as legislation on protection of children’s rights. For instance, the Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses stipulates liability for propaganda of «nontraditional sexual relations» among minors.

The project is implemented with the financial support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic as a part of the Transition Promotion Program. The views represented in this material belong to the authors and do not reflect the official position of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic.