Apple has been fined more than 10 million roubles (around €114,738) by a court in Russia after being found guilty of distributing so-called “LGBT propaganda” and failing to remove related content. The ruling was handed down by Judge Alexandra Anokhina at Moscow’s Tagansky District Court on Monday, according to the independent Russian outlet Mediazona.

The hearing was held behind closed doors at Apple’s request, meaning the exact nature of the alleged content was not disclosed. However, the court found Apple Distribution International Ltd. guilty of three administrative offences under Russia’s strict anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, imposing fines of 2.5 million roubles for each violation.

The case comes amid a broader and intensifying crackdown on LGBTQ+ rights in Russia. In December 2022, President Vladimir Putin signed a law that expanded existing restrictions on so-called “LGBT propaganda”. The legislation now bans any positive or neutral representation of LGBTQ+ identities in media, education, advertising, and online platforms.

Further anti-LGBTQ+ policies have been introduced since, and authorities have targeted a growing number of individuals and organisations. Bar owners and staff have been jailed, LGBTQ+-friendly venues raided, and more than 50 club-goers detained during police operations. Educational apps like Duolingo have been forced to censor inclusive material, while children’s programmes such as My Little Pony have been reclassified as adult content.

In separate incidents, a university student was expelled for posting make-up tutorials on social media, and a man was fined for jokingly claiming to have “founded” the global LGBTQ+ rights movement. Another man, accused of operating an LGBTQ+ travel agency, was found dead in his cell under suspicious circumstances.

Most recently, at least ten people were detained as part of a criminal investigation into the distribution of LGBTQ+-themed books, with Russian authorities accusing them of participating in the activities of an “extremist organisation”.

The mounting use of Russia’s “extremism” laws to suppress LGBTQ+ expression has drawn sharp criticism from international human rights groups, who say the country is systematically erasing queer visibility and punishing dissent.

Apple has not yet issued a public statement regarding the court’s decision.