No country for Baphomet. Russia designates the “international Satanist movement” as “extremist”

On the morning of July 23, Russia’s Supreme Court designated Satanism as “extremist” and banned its activities with immediate effect. The case was heard behind closed doors, with neither the public nor journalists present.

In a departure from previous hearings, the court’s press service prohibited any filming of Judge Oleg Nefedov. “You are not permitted to film anyone, only the coat of arms,” the court requested.

Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, first mentioned the “International Satanist movement” in January 2025, when he called for a legislative ban on Satanism in Russia.

“It is unacceptable,” Kirill said at the time, “that various satanic sects, which are part of this international Satanist movement, can freely conduct their rituals in our country, recruit young people, and openly register their groups on social networks. Let’s think about it: in the zone of the special military operation, our fighters are ready to give their lives for the values that are so clearly flouted by these Satanists!”

In early July, the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Ministry of Justice filed a suit with the Supreme Court to have the “international Satanist movement” declared extremist.

“In the eternal struggle between good and evil, legal force has triumphed,” the Prosecutor General’s press service snarkily quipped in a statement today following the decision. “Followers of this cult, based on hatred and hostility towards traditional religious faiths, publicly call for the destruction of Orthodox shrines. They deny social norms, justify the ideas of neo-Nazism, and commit ritual and other crimes, including those against minors.”

On November 30, 2023, the Supreme Court banned the non-existent “international LGBT movement”. The ruling was also handed down by Judge Nefedov.