Russia just banned an entire belief system.
Russia’s Supreme Court has officially designated “Satanism” and the so-called “International Satanist Movement” as extremist organizations, making them illegal nationwide. The ruling bans what authorities described as the “general principles of Satanism” along with occult rituals, framing the decision as part of an ideological battle between good and evil.
The closed-door hearing was overseen by Judge Oleg Nefedov, the same judge who previously ruled to ban the “international LGBT movement” in 2023. Prosecutors celebrated the decision as a moral victory, despite offering little clarity on how “Satanism” is legally defined.