LGBT people in the Russo-Ukrainian War

Homophobia in Russia has been pushed by the Russian government as part of the larger narrative about "traditional values" of Russia as juxtaposed with the "immorality" of the Western world, and the subsequent civilizational mission of Russia. Russia is portrayed as a bastion of conservative values, such as tradition, a strict social hierarchy and sexual order, and the prominent role played by religion. Vladimir Putin invoked this rhetoric during the 2011–2013 Russian protests. Russian government policies have since formalized to oppress LGBT people and restrict women's rights in the country.[1]

The first Ukrainian LGBT organizations emerged in the 1990s, and during the 2000s, local and international organizations, such as George Soros's International Renaissance Foundation, became important in the society of Ukraine's relationship with LGBT. Pride parades began to attain greater popularity and acceptance in the country in the 2010s, and by 2020 pride events were taking place not only in the capital Kyiv, but also in Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, Kherson and Odesa.[2]

Since Euromaidan, Ukraine begun to pay more attention to LGBT rights. In 2015, a ban on workplace discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation was added to Ukrainian law. While domestic anti-LGBT movements weakened and lost popularity, Russia remained a source of homophobic sentiment exported into Ukraine. Russian authorities tried to promote ultra-conservative ideas in Ukraine and other countries to fight LGBT movements. Under the pro-Russian president Victor Yanukovych, the Ukrainian parliament introduced bills to ban "gay propaganda" similar to the Russian model three times.[2][3]

Contrary to perceptions of it being a conservative region, the Donbas in eastern Ukraine has traditionally been the most LGBT-supportive region in the country. This situation changed dramatically after the beginning of the war in Donbas, when pro-Russian militias seized vast areas in Luhansk Oblast and Donetsk Oblast. Homophobia occupied an important place in the rhetoric of the groups.[4] In the occupied territories, systemic persecution and targeted killings of LGBTQ people began. The constitution of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) included a ban on same-sex unions. In 2015, both the DPR and the Luhansk People's Republic passed discriminatory "gay propaganda" laws along the lines of Russia's. Local LGBTQ organizations were quickly destroyed, and many LGBTQ people were forced to flee the Donbas.[5][6][7]

Since the times of the Soviet Union, when sodomy was a criminal offense, the Simeiz resort in Crimea has been a popular destination for LGBTQ tourism. There were LGBT-friendly bars in Sevastopol, and LGBTQ activists and organizations were included in Crimean public society.[8][9][10] After Russia's annexation of Crimea, discriminatory Russian laws came into effect in the region. Violence against LGBTQ people became more frequent, including by Russian security forces. The human rights organization Memorial documented cases in which police officers used torture to force LGBT Crimeans, as well as other vulnerable groups, to hand over their property and real estate.[11][12][13][14] Many of the approximately 10,000 LGBTQ people in Crimea were forced to flee the region.[5]

Thanks to the participation of queer Ukrainians in the military during the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, a common argument for expanding LGBT rights in the country has been that they fight against the Russian invaders on an equal basis to any other Ukrainians.[2][3]

During the invasion, LGBTQ people have been made vulnerable in Ukraine. In the first months of the invasion, transgender people in Ukraine faced shortages of transgender hormone therapy drugs, which international aid organizations helped to overcome.[15] Due to the closure of borders for men 18–60 years old in Ukraine, Ukrainian transgender women who had not completed their legal transition and still retained the "male" gender marker in their documents could not leave the country.[16][15]