LGBTQ people have played a role in multiple aspects of the Russian-Ukrainian War.
After Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and the subsequent creation of two Russian puppet states in eastern Ukraine, the number of homophobic attacks in Russia, including those committed by the government, has significantly increased.
Since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, numerous cases of homophobic violence against LGBTQ Ukrainians by the Russian military have been documented. Russian authorities have also heightened anti-LGBTQ discrimination during the invasion. Meanwhile, in Ukraine, acceptance of LGBTQ people has gradually increased. Since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, that trend has intensified.
The participation of LGBTQ Ukrainians in the military has served as an impetus for this change. The Kyiv International Institute of Sociology has noted a trend towards positive reception of LGBTQ people in the country in recent years.
