A man living in Russia is set to be deported after he was arrested and appeared in court charged with promoting non‑traditional sexual relations.
The young man had reportedly uploaded an online review of a leather skirt he had purchased, which included photos of himself wearing the outfit.
After buying the clothing from online retailer Wildberries, he uploaded images of the faux‑leather outfit and wrote in September 2025: “What a lovely little skirt! It hides not just the flaws in my figure, but also the fact that I’m a guy.”
He was arrested by authorities on 23 April and pleaded guilty to the charges. He begged the court in the central region of Tula not to deport him.
In the judge’s view, the foreign national was “openly demonstrating the appeal of non‑traditional sexual attitudes.”
“The dissemination of beliefs and preferences regarding sexual orientation and specific forms of sexual relations must not infringe on the dignity of others or cast doubt on public morality as it is understood in Russian society,” the court’s ruling stated.
After spending five days in administrative arrest, he was transferred to another facility for deportation. He can be held for up to 90 days before being sent back to his home country.
He also faces additional charges for promoting “LGBT propaganda” over images and videos on his social media pages.
Over a number of years the Russian government has brought in a series of vaguely worded laws that critics say are designed to clamp down on LGBTIQA+ communities. These include a ban on any public depiction of homosexuality, arguing that it is a danger to both children and adults, and the formal listing of LGBT ideology as an international terrorist movement.
The case was reported by Novaya Gazeta, after first being highlighted by Mediazona. In their reporting, both outlets describe the person arrested as identifying as male.
