Human rights group reports Chechen forces coercing detained gay men into military service, with at least seven sent to frontlines in Ukraine

Cover photo: A serviceman listens to Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Russia's Chechen Republic, as he addresses troops in Grozny, the regional capital of Chechnya, on March 29, 2022 / Source: AP Photo

Security forces in Chechnya are forcibly sending detained homosexual men to Ukraine by blackmailing them into “volunteering” for the frontlines, according to a report from the human rights group NC SOS («СК СОС»). The human rights activists have reported at least seven such cases, with one of the men sent to the front already having been killed.

SK SOS reports that these forced conscription methods began even before Sept. 21, 2022, when Vladimir Putin announced “partial mobilization” into the Russian army across the country. In early September of that year, six men in Chechnya were detained on suspicion of being homosexual. They were threatened with fabricated criminal charges and warned they would be sent to pre-trial detention, where their orientation would be revealed to fellow inmates, according to the human rights group.

The detainees were given the choice of paying a ransom or volunteering for the war in Ukraine. Three of the men were forced to become “volunteers,” as the ransom amount — 1.5 million rubles (over $17,000) — was unaffordable for their families. One of these men was reportedly killed in action, as per NC SOS.

Detentions continued into the following year: in 2023, during yet another law enforcement raid in Chechnya, several members of the LGBTQ+ community were arrested. The women among them were released to their families later that evening, while four men were forcibly sent to Ukraine. Their fate remains unknown.

NC SOS («СК СОС», lit. “North Caucasus SOS”) is a crisis group established in 2021 that provides assistance to LGBTQ+ individuals and victims of domestic violence in the North Caucasus — particularly those facing life-threatening persecution, discrimination, and abuse. The organization helps people flee dangerous regions, seek asylum, or relocate abroad. In recent years, SK SOS has become known for its efforts to protect LGBTQ+ individuals from abuse by Chechen authorities, including forced conscription into military service.