Nightclubs and bars are often places where people can let go of the outside world, dance, and feel free — at least for a little while. But in Moscow this past weekend, that freedom was shattered. Police stormed at least three nightlife venues in what they claim is part of a campaign against so-called LGBT “propaganda.

As part of a government crackdown on what it calls "LGBT propaganda," Russian police have raided a number of bars and nightclubs in Moscow and arrested a travel agency director.

Police in Moscow have raided multiple bars and arrested the director of a gay travel agency, under laws criminalising "LGBT propaganda", state media reported.

The raids coincide with the one-year anniversary of Russia’s Supreme Court decision to classify the LGBTQ+ movement as an "extremist organization." The ruling followed a years-long effort to suppress LGBTQ+ rights in the country.

Police in Moscow raided multiple bars early Saturday and arrested the director of a travel agency serving LGBTQ+ customers under laws criminalizing “LGBT propaganda,” state media reported. The raids came on the one-year anniversary of Russia’s Supreme Court outlawing the “international LGBT movement,