Moscow arrests doctor for ‘Satanism’ and ‘LGBTQ propaganda’

FSB security service said it had arrested the medical chief in the central Ulyanovsk region, accusing him of ‘devil worshipping’

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Handcuffs hang from a gate to Red Square in Moscow, Russia. A doctor has been arrested in Moscow for “Satanism” and “promoting same-sex relationships”. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 12:38am, 8 Oct 2024Updated: 1:37am, 8 Oct 2024

Russia on Monday arrested a doctor for “Satanism” and “promoting same-sex relationships”, as Moscow intensifies a legal crackdown on LGBTQ rights, in defence of what it calls “traditional family values”.

Moscow has for years created a hostile environment for LGBTQ people, a trend it hugely accelerated since sending troops to Ukraine in 2022.

The powerful FSB security service said it had arrested the head of a medical institution in the central Ulyanovsk region, accusing him of “devil worshipping”.

Such accusations from state authorities are rare, but the influence of the Orthodox Church has steadily risen as Russia takes an increasingly conservative social turn.

“In the course of operational searches, it was established that this person, being a supporter of Satanism, promoted the idea of same-sex relations among subordinate employees as a way of initiating them into devil worshipping,” the FSB said.

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It said the man had “misled citizens into believing that it was necessary to adopt the cult in order to gain financial prosperity and achieve career advancement”.