Moscow Court Fines Booking.com 6 Million Rubles Over LGBT Tourists Newsletter

On September 8, 2026, the Tagansky District Court of Moscow fined the international accommodation booking service Booking.com 6 million rubles. The company was found guilty of “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations” and failing to delete banned information.

The proceedings were sparked by an informational newsletter sent to foreign partner hotels. It contained recommendations on accommodating LGBT tourists during Pride Month events. According to court documents, each of the two protocols cost the service 3 million rubles.

Representatives of Roskomnadzor (Russia’s media regulator) discovered the materials in March and demanded their removal. In court, Booking.com’s defense stated that the disputed page had already been deleted on March 11; however, the court still issued a guilty verdict for failing to remove the content.

Booking.com suspended its operations in Russia in March 2022. The legislation banning “LGBT propaganda” among minors has been in effect in Russia since 2013, and in 2022 it was expanded to people of all ages. Later, the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation recognized the non-existent “international LGBT movement” as an extremist organization and banned its activities in the country.