Russia charges online movie portal with distributing 'LGBT propaganda' to minors
Kinopoisk is owned by Yandex, one of Russia's most prominent tech giants
The Russian government filed charges this week against an online movie portal owned by one of the country's largest tech giants, accusing them of distributing "LGBT propaganda."
The Russian government is pursuing the case against Kinopoisk, a film database owned by tech company Yandex, according to a report from the Moscow Times.
Zamoskvoretsky District Court registered the case against Kinopoisk and listed state-operated media watchdog Roskomnadzor as the plaintiff.
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A giant logo sits on the glass facade of the headquarters of Yandex NV, Russia's largest search-engine company, in Moscow. Yandex owns film database Kinopoisk, which has been charged by the Russian government with distributing "LGBT propaganda." (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
Available documents have not outlined the specific content deemed unsuitable for distribution, Moscow Times reported.
Kinopoisk reportedly faces a maximum fine of 4 million rubles, approximately $47,500, or a three-month pause on operations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin expanded the scope of the country's standing laws against "LGBT propaganda" in 2022.
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The far-reaching restriction prohibits the creation or sharing of content depicting nontraditional sexual relations, gender reassignment and pedophilia in a positive light, according to state-run media.
The law extended to social media platforms, as well as mass media like films and advertisement.
The law also has a provision pertaining to minors and empowers to country's media watchdog to implement systems preventing minors from viewing such content.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a cabinet meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow. (Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP / AP Newsroom)
Putin has long waged a political war against LGBT activists in Russia, and his allies have in the past cited the movement's success in the U.S. as an excuse for expansive actions.
State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin, who authored the bill, cited trends in the U.S. and Europe as a reason to pass it in November.
"He cited data from opinion polls, according to which 16% of Europeans aged 14 to 29 identify themselves as LGBT," the Duma reported at the time. "And in the U.S. state of Maryland, the number of students who have not decided on their gender due to the promotion of non-traditional relationships has grown almost six times in two years and today makes up 45% of all students in the state."
FOX Business' Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.