Lurching toward year three of a brutal war of attrition with Ukraine, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin’s regime on Friday night began a major new offensive with the aim of shoring up morale domestically and rejuvenating the citizenry’s sense of purpose, as the Kremlin’s forces surged against the enemy by conducting a series of raids against Moscow’s LGBTQ+ nightlife scene, the AP reports.
The raids came just two days after the Russian Supreme Court, determined to do their part to boost national morale amid the grinding fight against Ukraine, ruled the “global LGBTQ+ movement” to be an extremist organization, banning citizens from any sort of public demonstrations of extremism such as displaying a rainbow flag, socializing in an establishment marketed to homosexuals, and holding hands, kissing, or otherwise expressing romantic affection to a person of the same sex.
“In practice, it could happen that the Russian authorities, with this court ruling in hand, will enforce the ruling against LGBTQ+ initiatives that work in Russia, considering them a part of this civic movement,” said Russian human rights lawyer Max Olenichev, plainly impressed by Putin’s iron will and determination to see hated rival Volodymyr Zelensky’s armies defeated once and for all.