Barents Observer journalist fined over alleged “LGBT propaganda” in Russia
A Russian court has fined Barents Observer journalist Olesya Krivtsova 200,000 roubles, accusing her of promoting LGBT issues via the media or online platforms. However, authorities have not specified which of her actions led to the penalty.
The ruling was issued by a magistrates’ court in Belgorod on 16 March. The decision has not been published, and Krivtsova says she has not been informed of the precise grounds for the case against her.
The charges may be linked to Krivtsova’s reporting for Barents Observer. Her work has included coverage of the trial of Ekaterina Filippova, who was prosecuted over a cross-shaped lamp, reporting from the Barents Pride event, and an article on Finland’s refusal to grant asylum to a Russian same-sex couple.
Allegations that Krivtsova was “promoting” LGBT issues were also outlined in a document from Russia’s Ministry of Justice. The statement was submitted in response to a request to remove her designation as a “foreign agent”. It claimed that Krivtsova “creates and publishes articles on behalf of residents of Arkhangelsk in support of LGBT supporters”, and that she “actively supports pro-choice movements” while making “negative statements” about the Russian Orthodox Church.
Responding to the fine, Krivtsova said:
I’m glad the authorities are spending some of their resources on me rather than on war or persecuting people inside Russia. In return, I want to wish freedom to all queer political prisoners — and to those who today are forced to hide, to live in fear, and to deny who they are just to survive. To those who are forbidden from being themselves and from loving. I do not intend to pay this fine.”
Krivtsova is currently facing, or has already faced, five administrative cases. In addition to the “LGBT propaganda” charge, she has been accused of violating Russia’s “foreign agents” legislation, for which she has already been fined 45,000 and 35,000 roubles.
She has also been placed on Russia’s wanted list and arrested in absentia. In 2022, criminal proceedings were launched against her on charges of “justifying terrorism” and “discrediting the army”. In 2023, Krivtsova fled Russia, reportedly evading security services while under house arrest.
All three Russian-language journalists working for Barents Observer have been designated as “foreign agents” by the Russian authorities. The publication itself has been labelled an “undesirable organisation” and is blocked within Russia.
