Russian courts have begun fining residents for posting images featuring three sixes, treating them as propaganda for the “International Satanism Movement”, which Russian authorities have designated an extremist organization, the state-run Russian news agency RIA Novosti reported.
The agency reviewed court rulings and found that courts have begun listing 666 among the international symbols of Satanists, alongside the inverted Christian cross, the pentagram, and the image of Baphomet.
A resident of Tyumen was fined 1,000 rubles for posting images of Baphomet, the number 666, a pentagram, and a sacrificial ritual on social media.
A resident of Voronezh received the same fine for a VK post featuring three sixes, a pentagram, an inverted cross, and the word “Satan.”
In Tomsk, a local resident was sentenced to 14 days of administrative detention over finger tattoos depicting 666 and Nazi runes.
Russia’s Supreme Court declared the “International Satanism Movement” an “extremist organization” in July 2025. The Prosecutor General’s Office and the Justice Ministry filed the lawsuit to ban the movement following an initiative by Patriarch Kirill.
At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.
If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at [email protected].
To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.
