EU Sanctions Russian Supreme Court Judge Who Banned LGBT Movement in the Country

The European Union has added Russian Supreme Court Judge Oleg Nefedov to its sanctions list. For LGBT people, he is primarily known for his ruling on November 30, 2023, when he granted the Ministry of Justice’s request to declare the non-existent “International LGBT Public Movement” an extremist organization and ban its activities in Russia.

The justification for the sanctions states that Nefedov has issued multiple rulings restricting freedom of association, political opposition, and human rights. These include designating the “LGBT movement” as extremist and classifying the Anti-Corruption Foundation, created by Alexei Navalny, as a terrorist organization.

In total, on June 15, 2026, the Council of the EU added 34 individuals and 47 entities to its sanctions lists. The EU stated that the new restrictions target the Russian military-industrial complex, the “shadow fleet”, hybrid threats, and human rights violations in Russia.

The sanctions list also includes several Russian propagandists, Russian Orthodox Church Bishop Georgy Shevkunov, as well as a number of judges, prosecutors, FSB officers, and medical personnel whom the EU links to the persecution and death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in 2024.

Nefedov’s decision to ban the LGBT movement has already led to real persecution in Russia. According to human rights reports , since early 2024, Russian courts have begun issuing sentences for the display of “extremist symbols,” including posting the rainbow flag on social media. The ban on the “LGBT movement” allows authorities to prosecute anyone for public association with the LGBT community.

Oleg Nefedov has presided over other high-profile political cases. He declared the “International Satanism Movement” an extremist organization, liquidated the PARNAS political party, rejected Alexei Navalny’s lawsuits against his penal colony, and upheld decisions to bar anti-war candidates Yekaterina Duntsova and Boris Nadezhdin from the Russian presidential elections.