Russias Supreme Court Declares International Satanist Movement an Extremist Threat

On Wednesday, Russia’s Supreme Court banned the so-called “International Satanist Movement,” approving a petition from government prosecutors to label it as an “extremist” organization.

During the proceedings, judges stated that the group’s actions were intended to undermine Russia’s constitutional framework, incite violence, and foster religious animosity, according to the state-run TASS news agency. The ruling is effective immediately.

This decision follows an April roundtable in the lower house of the State Duma that addressed the struggle against “Satanism” and other ideologies deemed a threat to Russian sovereignty.

During that meeting, legislators characterized Satanism as a “misanthropic ideology that justifies malevolence,” claiming it aims to undermine Russia’s traditional faiths as part of what they described as Western hybrid warfare. They likened the ideology to Nazism and LGBTQ+ identities.

Earlier this month, Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office submitted its application to prohibit the movement. The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, has publicly endorsed this classification.

While there are international Satanist groups, such as the Order of Nine Angles, which has been associated with far-right terrorism in the UK, the “International Satanist Movement” as defined by Russian officials does not seem to have any real existence.