Russia is preparing to ban "propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations".

This combat term refers to information about sexual minorities such as homosexuals, transsexuals and bisexuals, but it is unclear where the boundaries of the prohibition run.

Unanimously, as is now customary, the Duma, the lower house, unanimously approved a corresponding bill on Thursday in the first of a total of three readings.

Frederick Smith

Political correspondent for Russia and the CIS in Moscow.

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Since 2013, laws have been in force in Russia prohibiting such “propaganda” against minors and obliging them to “protect children”.

Now, "propaganda" in front of minors is becoming an aggravating circumstance, the ban is being extended to all ages, and the fines are increasing.

War as a fight against western values

In addition, the combat term "pedophilia" coined in Russia for homosexuals is introduced, whose "propaganda" becomes a separate administrative offense with even higher fines.

Anyone who informs minors about homosexuality and transsexuality should also be able to be punished.

Foreigners who violate the bans should be expelled from Russia.

Cinemas, news portals, advertising companies and social networks are among those affected by the ban package;

When asked by Russian publishers, one of the initiators of the legislative project denied that literary classics such as Nabukov's “Lolita” or Tolstoy's “Anna Karenina” could be banned because of pedophilia or adultery “propaganda”.

But in practice, courts decide.

Only a few people were convicted each year for violations of the previous ban on “propaganda” against minors.

But that could change.

State propaganda is also staging the war in Ukraine as a defensive struggle against foreign, harmful assets.

President Vladimir Putin, for example, said in his speech on the annexation of more Ukrainian territories at the end of September that the “collective West” negated “norms of religion, of the family”, asked rhetorically whether the Russians wanted “instead of mom and dad to be parent one, parent two, parent three" - "are they completely crazy?" - and whether they wanted "our children to be drummed into the fact that there are other genders besides women and men".

"All of this is unacceptable for us, we have a different, our own future," said Putin.