Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that expatriates returning to Russia are doing so thanks to their discomfort with Western cultural norms, particularly the prevalence of unisex bathrooms.
While the exact number of Russians who have left the country since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine is uncertain, the UK Ministry of Defence estimated around 1.3 million departures in that year.
As the conflict continues, some Russians are indeed returning home, driven by various factors, including visa denials from foreign countries and personal obligations. During a televised discussion, Putin suggested that the adaptation to certain Western practices, such as gender-neutral bathrooms, is challenging for Russians with “traditional, normal, human values,” leading them to reconsider living abroad.
This stance echoes similar sentiments expressed by other Russian officials. St Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov claimed that Russian soldiers were motivated in their fight by observing gender-neutral bathrooms in Ukrainian schools. Additionally, former foreign minister Sergey Lavrov recounted his confusion over unisex bathrooms during a visit to Sweden, criticizing the concept as “unhuman.”
Putin’s comments align with his administration’s longstanding approach towards LGBTQ+ rights. In 2022, Russia expanded its “gay propaganda” law, initially targeted at protecting minors from LGBTQ+ content, to include all age groups. This was followed by legislation banning gender-affirming healthcare and changing gender markers on official documents, as well as affecting the marital status and adoption rights of transgender individuals.
These increasingly repressive measures have led many in the LGBTQ+ community to flee Russia, while others remain deeply concerned about their safety and rights under the current regime.
