Resisting Evil: Supreme Court bans "International Satanism Movement"

On July 23, the Supreme Court recognized the International Satanism Movement as an extremist organization and banned its activities in Russia. The lawsuit was filed by the Prosecutor General's Office jointly with the Ministry of Justice. Previously, the need for such a decision was discussed twice at hearings in the State Duma. Then the deputies, priests and public figures came to an unequivocal conclusion: Satanism is a destructive movement and it must be banned. Experts' opinions on the court's decision were divided. Some are concerned about the vagueness of the concept of "Satanism," which may raise questions even about the classics of literature and cinema. Others are sure that the Supreme Court's decision prohibits an ideology that worships evil, and not any mention of evil as such in films, books or music. The motives and likely consequences of the decision are described in the Izvestia article.

Why was Satanism banned?

On July 23, the Supreme Court ruled to recognize Satanism as an extremist movement and decided to ban its spread in Russia. The court's decision has entered into force.

However, what exactly will be meant by Satanism remains unclear at the moment — the court session was held behind closed doors, the full texts of the Prosecutor General's Office's claim and the court's decision have not yet been made public. One thing is clear — participation in this "movement", propaganda of its ideology and the use of symbols and objects of worship will face criminal and administrative liability, lawyers warned.

The only information about what the courts and law enforcement agencies will be guided by is now available from the release of the Prosecutor General's Office. It explains that the Satanism movement is based on extremist ideology, hatred and hostility towards traditional religious denominations, and its participants publicly call for extremism, destruction, damage and desecration of Orthodox churches, chapels and crosses of worship.

"The followers of the movement adhere to the general principles of Satanism, use common symbols and attributes, and perform occult rituals. The conceptual basis consists of publications recognized as extremist materials," the supervisory authority said.

Also, according to the prosecutor's office, "the movement is closely linked to manifestations of radical nationalism and neo-Nazism."

"Along with ritual murders, participants commit other crimes, including against minors," they added.

For the first time, deputies spoke about the threat of Satanism and the need to ban it in July 2024, in the Duma Committee on the development of civil society, issues of public and religious associations. Then the chairman of the committee, Olga Timofeeva, called on the audience to fight "fascists, Satanists and Nazis who rely on the forces of evil."

At the second round table on this topic, in April 2025, the head of the State Duma's defense committee, Andrei Kartapolov, stated that Satanism should be considered an immediate threat to statehood on a par with the LGBT movement (recognized as extremist and banned in Russia in 2023).

Some MPs and public figures also see signs of Satanism in "school shooting", "death groups", quadrobing, magicians and psychics, as well as the Childfree ideology, which has been fined for propaganda since 2024.

From "Faust" to "The Master and Margarita"

Since there are many references to Satan in literature, music and cinema, the new ban may put cultural figures in a difficult position, says Sergei Sychev, a film critic and Izvestia columnist.

"There is a Church of Satan in the USA, an understandable organization, if it is banned, then it is clear to me," the expert said. — And everything that follows is not. Vadim Samoilov sang a lot about Satan, who gathers fresh souls in the forest — is this Satanism or not? Is Yuri Kolokolnikov as the new Woland in the TV series "The End of the World" or is Woland himself in "The Master and Margarita" Satanism?

All this is just a small part of the works, whose legal status may now be in question, the expert believes. These may include the films "The Devil's Advocate" with Al Pacino, "Faust" by Alexander Sokurov and many other famous films. Some experts also consider the Greek gods, the Harry Potter series of books and films, and the Avengers franchise to be "Satanism."

The Supreme Court's decision prohibits an ideology that worships evil, and not any mention of evil as such in films, books or musical works, says Alexander Dvorkin, professor at St. Tikhon's Orthodox University for the Humanities.

— Obviously, neither Gogol nor Bulgakov has any signs of such ideas, — said the expert.

Alexander Dvorkin is sure that the recognition of Satanism as extremism will not affect classical literature in any way. As for films or other modern texts, this decision will require "expert work," he said.

— Since we do not know what exactly the legislator refers to the ideology of Satanism, it is possible that an examination will have to be ordered on a case—by-case basis, - suggested Alexander Dvorkin.

Satanism is certainly a destructive ideology and the state has the right to take measures to protect its citizens from such influences, historian, Candidate of theology, Professor Alexey Svetozarsky told Izvestia.

"There will certainly be those who advocate the prohibition of various works of art, but I hope that reason will not leave us," the expert said. — Demonism, of course, is present in both music and literature, but this is not a matter of prohibition. It is a matter of each individual's inner growth and choice.

According to Svetozarsky, the prohibition of Satanism as a movement can be assessed positively when it comes to Satanic sects, that is, individual organizations and groups. But, in his opinion, the problem of spreading such ideas in society is less relevant now than before.

— The desire to tickle the nerves, look into the abyss and all this decadence were popular in the 90s, — said the expert. — There is less interest in such sentiments now.

From arrest to fine

After the decision to ban the "international Satanism movement" is made, the Ministry of Justice will add the movement to the list of extremist organizations (published on the agency's website), Ilya Drozdov, a lawyer at the Moscow bar association Union of Lawyers, told Izvestia.

"The Interior Ministry and the FSB will begin to identify participants in this movement, as well as conduct searches and seize symbols," the lawyer said. — Roskomnadzor will block websites, social networks, as well as all content related to Satanism and include it in the "Register of Prohibited Sites." At the same time, symbols and literature related to Satanism will now be added to the Unified Federal List of Extremist Materials.

If the blocking is challenged by the owners of the sites, this issue will be considered by the courts, the lawyer said.

The decision of the Supreme Court will entail a ban on any activity of the movement, including the dissemination of its symbols, ideology and involvement in the ranks of followers, added Alexey Gavrishev, head of AVG Legal. The ban will apply to websites, social networks, and platforms such as YouTube, Telegram, and VK.

— Technically, this works through requiring the provider to restrict access, as well as notifying site owners and hosting companies, — said the lawyer. — Rosfinmonitoring also automatically includes those involved in the list of extremists and terrorists, which entails the blocking of bank accounts, a ban on financial transactions and restrictions on employment in a number of areas.

Participation or organization of the activities of an extremist organization is criminalized under Article 282.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, Alexey Gavrishev recalled. At the same time, the punishment depends on the specific role: up to six years in prison for participation, up to eight years for financing, campaigning and involvement, up to 10 years for organizing.

"Anyone who distributes materials that promote ideology, involve others, or participate in organizing meetings, online chats, etc. can fall under the scope of the article," the lawyer noted. — Even likes and reposts can be interpreted as distribution in some cases. It depends on the specific context.

The transfer of funds to the accounts of Satanists will be regarded as providing financial support to extremists, Ilya Drozdov pointed out.

20.3 of the Administrative Code of the Russian Federation (fines up to 100 thousand rubles) will be imposed for the demonstration of symbols or propaganda of extremist ideology. And for the production and distribution of extremist materials — under Article 20.29 of the Administrative Code with a fine of up to 1 million rubles.

Administrative arrest of up to 15 days is also possible under these articles, the lawyers said.