Tag Archives: St. Petersburg

The BBC reports: An explosion in a St Petersburg cafe has killed prominent Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, Russia’s Interior Ministry has confirmed. At least 16 people were injured in the Street Bar Cafe bomb blast, police say. Vladlen Tatarsky’s following on Telegram numbers more than 500,000. He and other military bloggers have criticised aspects of the Russian campaign in …

The BBC reports: Russian police have detained at least 25 LGBT rights activists during a protest in St Petersburg to promote the rights of sexual minorities. About 60 activists gathered at the main square in the city centre, despite a ban being placed on the rally. They held up placards and rainbow-coloured flags, and called for LGBT rights to be …

The Independent reports: At least 10 people are believed to have died after two explosions on the Saint Petersburg subway. Pictures posted on social media show the door of a Metro train has been blown out in an explosion, which is reported to have involved shrapnel-filled devices. Other images showed passengers lying on the ground of a station platform. A …

Via Russia’s state-funded RT News: Police in St. Petersburg wouldn’t allow controversial legislator Vitaly Milonov, best known for his anti-gay stance, to interfere with a gay pride march on May Day. He tried to stop the march on the grounds of a ‘gay propaganda’ law he himself sponsored. An LGBT activists’ column was part of Friday’s massive rally, which marched …

Via Business Insider: Residents of Saint Petersburg have reportedly torn down a giant interactive iPhone memorial that commemorated the death of Apple founder Steve Jobs after the company’s current CEO, Tim Cook, came out as gay on Thursday. Business FM Radio reports that the company that originally funded the memorial, ZEFS, decided to tear it down after Cook said he …

Accompanied by local lawmaker Vitaly Milonov, anti-gay thugs from the Russian Orthodox Church swarmed yesterday’s opening of the  St. Petersburg QueerFest where 16 attendees were reportedly hospitalized after an unknown gas was released. Via Radio Free Europe: St. Petersburg lawmaker Vitaly Milonov, his aide Anatoly Artyukh, and activists who associate themselves with the Russian Orthodox faith interrupted the opening ceremony …

A court in St. Petersburg today ruled that Coming Out, a local Russian LGBT rights group, is a de facto spy organization because it receives funding from outside the country. Via Buzzfeed: The group is one of hundreds of human rights organizations that has had this label slapped on them or been taken to court by government officials for failing …

Queer Russia reports: A new St. Petersburg based antigay group emerged on a popular Russian social network Vkontakte has launched an on-line campaign offering an equivalent of $150 for reporting “confirmed” information on LGBT school teachers. The group aims to stop “gay propaganda to minors” in schools and dismiss gay teachers with the help of local authorities. The announcement published …

Via Queer Russia: The grand festival opening scheduled for the evening of November, 21 is disrupted. A call of a bomb threat in the “Warshavsky Express” cinema is delaying the opening ceremony and screening of the first film of the festival. With all guests being evaquated, police began checking up the building. About 200 guests arrived at the opening. Aggressive …

He doesn’t hate gay people, he hates everything. Lawmaker Vitaly Milonov, known as the co-author of the St. Petersburg’s anti-gay legislation, has disrupted a Halloween party in one of the city’s parks. United Russia deputy Milonov arrived at Internationalists Park on Thursday in the Kupchino district where about 1,000 people were celebrating Halloween with pumpkin carving contest and a fireworks …

Priests from the Russian Orthodox Church and skinheads clashed with LGBT activists at a St. Petersburg rally yesterday to mark Coming Out Day. There were 67 arrests. The rally on the Field of Mars (Marsovo Pole) in the city’s downtown was scheduled at 2 p.m., but anti-gay activists arrived at the scene before that time to protest against the event. …