At least 66 administrative cases have been initiated in Russia against people accused of displaying “extremist symbols” linked to the nonexistent “International Satanism Movement”. In addition, there is known to be one criminal case in which a sentence has already been handed down. These figures were reported in calculations published by Novaya-Europe.
What people are being punished for
In 51 cases out of 66, the grounds were the posting of images, photographs, audio, and video on social media, mainly on VK, Telegram, and Odnoklassniki.
For example, in December last year, a court in Astrakhan sentenced a local resident to three days of arrest for posting on Odnoklassniki an image of a pentagram with a caption meaning that there is no difference between communism and Satanism.
At the same time, he was found guilty in two other administrative cases, one concerning the display of “extremist symbols” and the other the distribution of “extremist materials.” According to the court, the man used the “Square of Svarog” symbol as his Odnoklassniki profile picture and posted an image with an antisemitic slogan saying there would be no peace on Russian soil while Jews remained in Kyiv and the Kremlin. He received three days of arrest for each of those cases as well.
Another nine cases were opened for displaying “Satanic” symbols in public places, five for selling items with such imagery, and one for carrying out a ritual.
In November last year, a court in Rostov Region fined a local resident 2,000 rubles for “Satanism propaganda.” According to media reports, he drew a pentagram near a private house and left a severed cow’s head there; Tarot cards were also found at the scene. It was presumed that he was performing a death ritual. The woman living in the house appealed for help to Investigative Committee chief Alexander Bastrykin.
Which symbols are treated as “Satanic”
In 45 cases, courts treated images of pentagrams as “Satanic symbols”; in 27, the occult deity Baphomet; in eight, inverted Christian crosses; in three, the number 666; in two, the heptary sigil, a magical symbol or seal based on the number 7; and in another two, the word SATAN.
In October last year, a resident of the settlement of Dobrinka in Lipetsk Region was fined 1,000 rubles for posting on VK images featuring pentagrams, Baphomet, inverted crosses, and the word SATAN. Among them was a meme by the Suffering Middle Ages project showing a girl holding a horned animal resembling Baphomet and saying:
“Mom, this is Sasha. He’s nice.”
How people are punished and where cases are most common
In April, the first known sentence in a criminal case for displaying “extremist symbols” became public: a resident of Voronezh was given one year of corrective labor for posting on VK a photograph of Adolf Hitler and a selfie wearing a hat and hoodie with a pentagram. He had previously faced a similar administrative case.
In at least 51 cases, defendants were fined between 1,000 and 2,000 rubles, and in another four cases between 3,000 and 5,000 rubles. Six people received administrative arrest for between three and 14 days, while one person was sentenced to compulsory labor. In six cases, items connected to the offense were confiscated, and in five, those charged were ordered to destroy items bearing “Satanic” symbols.
In December last year, a resident of Yeysk in Krasnodar Krai was sentenced to 50 hours of compulsory labor for posting on VK photographs of tattoos with “Satanic symbols.” The court ruling also states that the “instrument of the administrative offense” was confiscated, though it does not specify what that referred to.
At the same time, one defendant in such a case succeeded in getting a court ruling overturned. In December last year, a court in Arkhangelsk Region fined a convict 1,000 rubles for wearing a scarf with a pentagram in a penal colony and confiscated the scarf. That decision was later reversed.
A raid by law enforcement officers on the Eclipse nightclub in Moscow is also mentioned separately. After the raid, visitors were accused of “Satanism,” and reports said that more than 10 people had been detained.
The absolute leader in the number of “Satanism propaganda” cases was Krasnodar Krai, where at least 20 such cases were recorded. Seven of them were heard by the Yeysk City Court. In October last year, that court twice fined a local resident 4,000 rubles under two separate cases over the display of “Satanic” symbols after he posted on VK two images featuring pentagrams and Baphomet.
Other regions with high numbers of such cases were listed as Kurgan Region with 4, Tula Region with 4, Voronezh Region with 3, Arkhangelsk Region with 3, Kursk Region with 3, St. Petersburg with 3, and Khabarovsk Krai with 3. All three cases in Kursk Region were brought against a local woman who posted images of Baphomet on VK; the court fined her 1,000 rubles in each instance.