Terrifying Russian hate group that ran deadly ‘gay hunt’ website is now sending death threats to LGBT+ activists
The Russian website encouraged users to hunt and torture gay people in a “game” based on the Saw movies.
A terrifying hate group that ran a deadly “gay hunt” website in Russia is continuing to send death threats to LGBT+ activists after their website was taken down by authorities.
The since-removed website was based on the Saw horror movie franchise and encouraged users to hunt and torture gay people.
People shared the personal information of LGBT+ activists, including photos and addresses, on the website before its removal last year.
While the website has been removed, the group is still active – and they are continuing to send terrifying threats to queer people.
One LGBT+ activist in Russia has received five threats so far this year from the hate group.
Svetlana Zakharova, from St Petersburg, told Sun Online that she has received five threats from the hate group this year so far.
“In the emails, they say things like ‘you will be next,'” Zakharova said.
“The people behind these threats try to claim they have the support of the government.
“‘We are the power and you will be next’, is the kind of language they use,” she added.
In April, the group told her in an email that they would carry out attacks on the LGBT+ community in Germany and the Netherlands and that “further expansion” across the continent was on the cards.
The email claimed that the “project” was being completed by “like-minded” people across Europe using the name “Knife International”.
The people behind these threats try to claim they have the support of the government.
“At the moment, the project will be based in five cities, these are Warsaw (Poland), Ostrava (Czech Republic), Berlin (Germany), Kharkov (Ukraine) and Arnhem (Netherlands) with further expansion throughout most of Europe,” the email said.
“The main activity of the organisation will be the regulation of LGBT activism in Europe.”
When the website was first made public in 2018, it asked users to support “Chechnya’s comeback”, referring to the brutal “gay purge” that saw at least 200 gay people held in secret prisons throughout the region in the summer of 2017 and at least 26 killed.
The disturbing website was taken down after an activist was murdered.
The website was finally taken down by authorities after one of Russia’s most outspoken LGBT+ activists Yelena Grigoryeva was killed after her personal details were published on the website.
A lesbian Russian national told PinkNews in 2018 that groups had been hunting LGBT+ people for some time in the country.
“I was in school when this first started happening,” she said.
“It is a very popular game for straight Russian men. It has been in action in some way since 2007, 2008, but it has normally taken place in closed groups. But now, there are no protections for Russians. It can happen in broad daylight,” she added.
Russia is a hostile environment for many LGBT+ people, and the country’s “gay propaganda” law makes the promotion of homosexuality illegal.
