The arrest of gay community members in Karachay-Cherkessia has sparked a debate on social media.

Some social media users praised the actions of security forces in Karachay-Cherkessia, who detained 16 people for subscribing to an online gay dating group. Others considered state interference in the private lives of citizens unacceptable. As reported by the Caucasian Knot, on April 30, it was reported that security forces had detained at least 16 residents of Karachay-Cherkessia who were members of a local VKontakte group for queer dating. This group remained one of the few unblocked LGBT* communities in the republic. According to human rights activists, all of the detainees were men, mostly under 40.

A publication by the "Caucasian Knot" about the detention of residents of Karachay-Cherkessia sparked discussion among Instagram** and Facebook** users. As of 12:55 PM Moscow time on May 4, the Instagram post** had 575 comments.

The commenters were divided into two camps: some support the persecution of queer people, while others criticize government officials for interfering in the privacy of citizens.

"Isolate them from society," demanded user mix_prada_09. "They have no place among normal people," declared baliza0109. "We don't need this scum in the republic," wrote teka__gol. "Religion is against it, so it's an abomination," opined mikailamirkhanov.

However, a significantly larger number of comments were left by users condemning the persecution of gays. "Why detain them, let alone beat them?" wrote meshwez. "The ban is understandable, but beating and abusing detainees is also a criminal offense," stated olga.the_cossackwoman.

"Everyone has the right to choose their sexual orientation," noted yuliyakondratova1983. "Everyone is different and has the right to be an individual," wrote tuovamarina. "Why are security forces climbing into other people's beds?" wondered k.anjela8998. "It would be better if they caught the real criminals," noted mila_gross. "Finally, the cops are getting down to business," joked romagert1.

Other users suggested that such measures don't solve the problem. "It's pointless, they're still there," wrote stroika_domov_remont_kvartir. "Banning won't eradicate this," agreed bella_bulochka. "They're pushing the issue into the shadows," she added in another comment.

Some participants in the discussion noted the aggression in the comments themselves from opponents of LGBT*. "People are enjoying humiliation and beatings – it's scary," wrote marydevil, among others. "So much malice in the comments," noted oxy.richter. "Such cruelty is frightening," admitted dididitkhtkh.

Cases of persecution of gays have been recorded in Chechnya, Dagestan, and North Ossetia

Among the regions of the North Caucasus Federal District, Chechnya has stood out for its regular roundups of gays, where such campaigns took place in waves in 2016-2017. The first of these lasted from December 2016 to February 2017, and in total, at least three waves of arrests with short breaks are known, according to a report prepared with the participation of Novaya Gazeta special correspondent Elena Milashina. The report is based on the testimonies of Chechen residents who were detained and tortured, according to a "Caucasian Knot" report "The Caucasus without gay parades - how Chechnya oppresses "those who don't exist".

New cases of persecution of gays in Chechnya were recorded later. For example, on January 18, 2024, it became known that Grozny resident Rizvan Dadaev, who had been missing for a long time after being detained for his sexual orientation, was tortured for months in captivity. human rights activists noted that he was able to leave Russia.

Earlier, Grozny native Salman Mukayev was also forced to flee Chechnya after being tortured: in February 2020, security forces forced him to confess to relationships with men and sign a cooperation agreement. Mukayev left Russia, but he was placed on the wanted list. Details are provided in the "Caucasian Knot" report "Case" Salman Mukayev".

Security forces raids on gays also took place in other regions of the North Caucasus Federal District. For example, in July 2024, human rights activists reported that security forces in Dagestan, after the arrest of porn actor Matvey Volodin, launched a campaign against gays and organized raids against them. One of the detainees left Russia after he was forced to agree to cooperate with security forces.

Gays in Dagestan were in danger even before local security forces organized provocations and raids against them, and after the arrest of Matvey Volodin, the threats increased significantly, human rights activists interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" noted.

In June 2025, It is known that the practice of raiding gays has spread to North Ossetia. There, people posing as police officers lured a Vladikavkaz resident onto a date with a young man, after which they forced him to cooperate, demanding that he hand over the data of other gays.

* The "LGBT movement" is recognized as an extremist organization in the Russian Federation.

** Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) is banned in Russia.