Russia's War Against Ukraine: Effects on the Ukrainian LGBTQIA+ Community

Editor’s Note: The following post is an excerpt of a full report. To read the entire analysis, click here to download the report as a PDF.

This report focuses on the effects of Russia’s war against Ukraine on the Ukrainian LGBTQIA+ community. Recorded Future’s employee resource group Out@Recorded Future, along with Insikt Group, provide insight into Russia’s anti-LGBTQIA+ policies, disinformation, the effects of being LGBTQIA+ in the Ukrainian military, LGBTQIA+ Ukrainian refugees, and LGBTQIA+ hardships that have been reinforced by Russia’s war. In addition to these topics, this report also highlights anti-LGBTQIA+ laws globally over the past year and their impact on education and censorship in regions such as the US and China.

Executive Summary

Russia’s war against Ukraine has invoked concerns specific to and exacerbated problems faced by the Ukrainian LGBTQIA+ community, in part due to Russia’s anti-LGBTQIA+ reputation. Russia posits itself as a state that supports "traditional values", superior and in contrast to a decaying West. Russia has long leveraged its anti-LGBTQIA+ policies and narrative to rally the support of Russian domestic audiences and secure international support and political alliances. Russia spreads this narrative through disinformation that is disseminated through a network of state-owned media and propaganda websites, which is then disseminated more widely through social media and messaging platforms.

Along with many Ukrainians, LGBTQIA+ Ukrainians have volunteered to serve in the Armed Forces, motivated to defend Ukraine's national identity, dignity, and freedom, and wanting to protect Ukraine's LGBTQIA+ community from the severe consequences of a Russian victory. LGBTQIA+ soldiers are fighting alongside groups like Azov with a history of extreme homophobia and have reported a mixed reception from their fellow soldiers.

Other Ukrainians have sought refuge from the dangers of war in neighboring European countries. LGBTQIA+ Ukrainians may find themselves in European countries that have a poor record on LGBTQIA+ rights, with the governments of Poland and Hungary declaring themselves against “LGBT ideology”, posing further threats to an already vulnerable group. Transgender and nonbinary Ukrainians in particular face challenges when trying to exit Ukraine and seek refuge in neighboring countries because gender markers on their identification documents do not match their actual genders. There are reports of harassment and body inspections at Ukrainian checkpoints looking to enforce a ban on Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country who must instead report for duty.

Russia’s war against Ukraine has reinforced and exacerbated other hardships endured by some members of Ukraine’s LGBTQIA+ community, with Russia’s indiscriminate attacks on healthcare facilities contributing to a shortage of vital hormone therapy and HIV medications, putting the health and lives of LGBTQIA+ Ukrainians at risk.

Across the world, at least 68 countries have national laws criminalizing same-sex relations between consenting adults, and at least 9 have national laws criminalizing forms of gender expression targeting transgender and nonbinary people. In the United States, 238 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills were introduced by state legislators in the first 3 months of 2022, compared to just 41 in all of 2018, while China is reportedly increasing censorship of LGBTQIA+ content online.

Editor’s Note: The following post is an excerpt of a full report. To read the entire analysis, click here to download the report as a PDF.