recognition of same-sex unions in Russia

Article 1(3) of the Family Code of Russia ({{langx|ru|Семейный кодекс|Seméjnyj kódeks}}, {{IPA|ru|sʲɪˈmʲejnɨj ˈkodɨks|pron}}){{efn|In some regional languages of Russia:

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• {{langx|abq|ТгIачва кодекс|Tg°ačva kodeks}}
• {{langx|ady|Унэгъо кодекс|Unăġo kodeks}}
• {{langx|atv|Биле кодексы|label=Altai|Bile kodeksı}}, {{IPA|atv|biˈle ˈkodeksɯ|pron}}
• {{langx|av|Хъизан-кулпат кодекс|Ӿizan-kullat kodeks}}
• {{langx|az|Аилә мәҹәлләси|Ailə məcəlləsi}}
• {{langx|ba|Ғаилә кодексы|Ğailə kodeksı}},{{cite web|url=https://bash.bashinform.ru/news/social/2020-10-06/respublikala-ayyrylysh-an-ata-s-l-r-balalaryn-torla-men-n-t-min-iterg-teyesh-1732761|title=Республикала айырылышҡан ата-әсәләр балаларын торлаҡ менән тәьмин итергә тейеш|language=ba|date=6 October 2020|work=Башинформ}} {{IPA|ba|ʁɑjˈlæ ˈkodeksɯ|pron}}
• {{langx|bua|Гэр бүлын кодекс|Ger bülyn kodeks}}{{cite web|url=http://gazeta-tolon.ru/index.php/rubrika/niigem/605-zags-da-100-zhel|title=ЗАГС-да - 100 жэл|work=Газета "Толон"|language=bua|date=20 December 2017}}
• {{langx|ce|Доьзалан кодекс|Dözalan kodeks}}{{cite web|url=https://daymohk-gazet.ru/archives/18727|language=ce|title=Берийн бакъонаш ларъяр вайн декхар ду|date=1 June 2018|work=Даймохк}}
• {{langx|cv|Ҫемье кодексӗ|Śem'e kodeksĕ}},{{cite web|url=https://chuvash.org/news/22612.html|language=cv|title=Тӗнчере: Юратакан икӗ хура ҫырӑнтарма килӗшмен|work=chuvash.org|date=18 July 2019}} {{IPA|cv|ɕʲeˈm⁽ʲ⁾je ˈkodʲeksʲɘ|pron}}
• {{langx|crh|Аиле кодекси|Aile kodeksi}}, {{IPA|chr|ɑjˈle ˈkodeksi|pron}}
• {{langx|dar|ХъалицIа кодекс|X̱aliⱬa kodeks}}
• {{langx|myv|Кудораське кодекс|Kudoraśke kodeks}}
• {{langx|fi|Perhekoodi}}
• {{langx|mrj|Йиш кодекс|Jiš kodeks}}
• {{langx|inh|Дезала кодекс|Dezala kodeks}}
• {{langx|kbd|Бынунагъуэ кодекс|Bynunaghue kodeks}}
• {{langx|xal|Өрк-бүлән кодекс|label=Kalmyk|Ôrk-bula̋n kodeks}}
• {{langx|krc|Юйюр джорукълары|Üjür coruqları}}, {{IPA|krc|yˈjyr dʒoruqlaˈrɯ|pron}}
• {{langx|krl|Perehkodeksi}}, {{IPA|krl|ˈperehˌkodeski|pron}}
• {{langx|kk|Отбасы кодексі|Otbasy kodeksı}}
• {{langx|kjh|Сöбiре кодексы|Söbire kodeksı}}, {{IPA|kjh|søbɘˈre ˈkodeksɯ|pron}}
• {{langx|kv|Семейнӧй кодекс|Śemejnöj kodeks}}
• {{langx|kum|Уягьлю кодексы|Ujaǧlü kodeksı}}, {{IPA|kum|u.jaʁˈly ˈkodeksɯ|pron}}
• {{langx|lbe|Кулпатрал кодекс|Kulpatral kodeks}}
• {{langx|lez|Хзандин кодекс|Xzandin kodeks}}
• {{langx|mhr|Еш кодекс|Eš kodeks}}
• {{langx|mdf|Тнал кодекс|Tnal kodeks}}
• {{langx|nog|Aьел кодексы|Äel kodeksı}}
• {{langx|os|Бинонтӕ кодекс|Binontæ kodeks}}, {{IPA|os|ˈbinontɐ ˈkodeks|pron}}
• {{langx|tt|Гаилә кодексы|Gailä kodeksı}},{{cite web|url=https://minjust.tatarstan.ru/tat/index.htm/news/17793.htm|title=Татарстанда ТР Гаилә кодексы эшләнә|language=tt|work=Министерство юстиции Республики Татарстан|date=28 May 2008}} {{IPA|tt|ɡɑjˈlæ ˈkʊde̞ksɤ̞|pron}}
• {{langx|tyv|Өг-бүлелиг дүрүмү|Ög-bülenig dürümü}}, {{IPA|tyv|ø̀ɣbʏlɛˈnɪɣ tʏ̀rʏˈmʏ|pron}}
• {{langx|udm|Семья кодексэз|Śem'ja koďekśez}}, {{IPA|udm|ɕʲeˈm⁽ʲ⁾ja ˈkodʲeksʲez|pron}}
• {{langx|uk|Сімейний кодекс|Siméjnyj kódeks}}, {{IPA|uk|s⁽ʲ⁾iˈmɛjnɪj ˈkɔdeks|pron}}
• {{langx|vep|Kanzaline kodeks}}
• {{langx|sah|Кэргэн кодекса|Kergen kodeksa}}, {{IPA|sah|keɾˈɡen ˈkɔdie̯ksa|pron}}
• {{langx|yi|משפּחה־געזעצבוך|Mishpokhe-gezetsbukh}}.

{{div col end}}}} bans same-sex marriage, stating: "Regulation of family relations must adhere to the principle of a voluntary union between a man and a woman […]."{{cite web|url= https://www.consultant.ru/document/cons_doc_LAW_8982/|title="Семейный кодекс Российской Федерации" от 29.12.1995 N 223-ФЗ (ред. от 31.07.2023) (с изм. и доп., вступ. в силу с 26.10.2023)|language=ru|access-date=13 December 2023|work=consultant.ru}} This ban was introduced in 1995. A 2006 judgement from the Constitutional Court of Russia upheld this statutory ban, and rejected claims that banning same-sex marriages was a violation of constitutional rights.{{cite web|url=http://www.law.edu.ru/article/article.asp?articleID=1277771|title=Определение Конституционного Суда РФ от 16 ноября 2006 г. № 496-О|language=ru|date=2006|work=law.edu.ru|archive-date=26 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826211448/http://www.law.edu.ru/article/article.asp?articleID=1277771}} Previously, the family law of the Soviet Union did not contain an explicit ban on same-sex marriages.{{cite web|url= https://www.cia.gov/readingroom/docs/CIA-RDP80T00246A001600750004-8.pdf|title=Marriage and the Family in the U.S.S.R.|access-date=13 December 2023|date=1956|work=CIA}}

{{main|2020 amendments to the Constitution of Russia}}

Following the 2020 constitutional referendum, the Russian Constitution has explicitly banned same-sex marriage.{{cite news |title=Putin submits plans for constitutional ban on same-sex marriage |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/02/vladimir-putin-submits-plan-enshrine-marriage-between-man-woman-russia |accessdate=8 June 2020 |work=the Guardian |date=2 March 2020 |language=en |quote="For me, the most important proposal would fix the status of marriage as a union between a man and a woman," Pyotr Tolstoy, a vice-speaker in the Duma, told reporters}} The Moscow Times reported in March 2020, after the amendments had passed unanimously in the State Duma, "The 67-year-old Putin, who has dominated Russia for 20 years, has sought to cast himself as a defender of traditional values and rally support by promoting anti-Western and conservative ideas. Putin's fourth stint in the Kremlin has seen a strong pivot to more conservative policies, with groups promoting fundamentalist Orthodox Christian views gaining more legitimacy and liberal viewpoints attacked as Moscow's relations with the West have soured."{{cite news |title=Putin Proposes to Enshrine God, Heterosexual Marriage in Constitution |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2020/03/02/putin-proposes-to-enshrine-god-heterosexual-marriage-in-constitution-a69491 |accessdate=8 June 2020 |work=The Moscow Times |date=2 March 2020 |language=en |quote=Putin's fourth stint in the Kremlin has seen a strong pivot to more conservative policies, with groups promoting fundamentalist Orthodox Christian views gaining more legitimacy and liberal viewpoints attacked as Moscow's relations with the West have soured.}} The referendum, which also allowed Putin to serve as president until 2036, was criticized by international observers claiming widespread irregularities including voter coercion, multiple voting, violation of secrecy of the vote and allegations of police violence against a journalist who was present to observe.{{Cite journal |last=Partlett |first=William |title=Russia's 2020 Constitutional Amendments: A Comparative Analysis |date=2020 |url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/cambridge-yearbook-of-european-legal-studies/article/abs/russias-2020-constitutional-amendments-a-comparative-analysis/4A8B84877258789A56CF0B47625386CD |journal=Cambridge Yearbook of European Legal Studies |language=en |volume=23 |pages=311–342 |doi=10.1017/cel.2021.7 |hdl=11343/297120 |s2cid=240008658 |issn=1528-8870|hdl-access=free }}

Article 72 of the Constitution now reads:{{cite web|url=https://mid.ru/upload/medialibrary/fa3/xwhwumdwunawy9iprvhcxdqds1lzxqdx/CONSTITUTION-Eng.pdf|title=Constitution of the Russian Federation|access-date=25 May 2025|work=mid.ru}}

{{blockquote|The following shall be within the joint jurisdiction of the Russian Federation and constituent entities of the Russian Federation: [...] g.1) protection of the family, maternity, fatherhood and childhood; protection of marriage as a union of a male and a female; creation of conditions for decent upbringing of children in a family, and for fulfilling by children of legal age of their obligation to take care of parents; [...]{{efn|{{langx|ru|В совместном ведении Российской Федерации и субъектов Российской Федерации находятся: [...] ж.1) защита семьи, материнства, отцовства и детства; защита института брака как союза мужчины и женщины; создание условий для достойного воспитания детей в семье, а также для осуществления совершеннолетними детьми обязанности заботиться о родителях; [...]{{cite web|url=http://duma.gov.ru/news/48953/|title=Новый текст Конституции РФ с поправками 2020|language=ru|access-date=25 May 2025|work=Duma}}}}}}}}

File:Pavel Stotsko and Evgenii Voitsekhovskii are marrying in the wedding office of Copenhagen's Town Hall.jpg, Denmark, 4 January 2018]]

Russian citizens can register a same-sex marriage in countries whose laws allow it for foreigners, such as Argentina, Iceland, Norway, Portugal or South Africa. According to article 158 of the Family Code, marriages concluded abroad are recognized in Russia, unless explicitly outlawed by article 14 of the Code, which prohibits marriage between close relatives, and between adoptive parents and adopted children. As a result, the recognition of same-sex marriage in Russia remains a controversial issue among lawyers. Some argue that foreign same-sex marriages can be recognized in Russia.{{cite web|title=В России признали однополый брак. Как это возможно?|url=https://tvrain.ru/articles/v_rossii_priznali_odnopolyj_brak_kak_eto_vozmozhno-456051/|date=26 January 2018|archive-date=25 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225205958/https://tvrain.ru/articles/v_rossii_priznali_odnopolyj_brak_kak_eto_vozmozhno-456051/|language=ru|work=TV Rain}}{{cite web|title=Член СПЧ прокомментировала первый зарегистрированный однополый брак в России|url=https://vz.ru/news/2018/1/26/905362.html|date=26 January 2018|work=vz.ru|archive-date=29 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729141513/https://vz.ru/news/2018/1/26/905362.html}} Other jurists and authorities refer to article 167 of the Code, which states: "The norms of foreign family law do not apply if such application would contradict the fundamentals of the legal order (public order) of the Russian Federation. In this case, the legislation of the Russian Federation shall apply." Thus, they argue that same-sex marriages contracted abroad cannot be recognized in Russia.{{cite web|first=Anna|last=Malpas|title=Lesbian Couple Sue to Tie Knot|url=http://www.russialist.org/archives/2009-113-18.php|work=The Moscow Times|date=17 June 2009|archive-date=14 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414011008/http://www.russialist.org/archives/2009-113-18.php}}{{cite web|url=https://tvrain.ru/articles/v_rossii_priznali_odnopolyj_brak_kak_eto_vozmozhno-456051/|title= В Госдуме призвали изменить законы после признания однополого брака|language=ru|date=26 January 2018|archive-date = 25 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225205958/https://tvrain.ru/articles/v_rossii_priznali_odnopolyj_brak_kak_eto_vozmozhno-456051/|work=RBC}}

A test case for the recognition of foreign marriages occurred in January 2018 when Pavel Stotsko and Evgenii Voitsekhovskii, who had married in Denmark on 4 January 2018, were indirectly acknowledged by Russian authorities as married on their passports.{{cite web|title=Однополые браки в России: невозможное возможно|url= https://www.dw.com/ru/%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8B%D0%B5-%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B8-%D0%B2-%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%B8-%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B5-%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%BD%D0%BE-dw-%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8-26022018/video-42750085|work=Deutsche Welle|date=26 February 2018|archive-date=2 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180302113459/http://www.dw.com/ru/%D0%BE%D0%B4%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D1%8B%D0%B5-%D0%B1%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%BA%D0%B8-%D0%B2-%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%B8-%D0%BD%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B5-%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%BC%D0%BE%D0%B6%D0%BD%D0%BE-dw-%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B2%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B8-26022018/av-42750085|language=ru}} However, the couple later fled Russia citing threats to their liberty and security, and the official who stamped their passports was dismissed. The Ministry of Internal Affairs also declared the passports invalid, and a court case accusing the couple of "intentional damage to official documents" was filed in court. The police issued a statement that it would not protect the couple from homophobic vigilantes.{{cite web|url= https://www.refworld.org/docid/5a9fc76b4.html|title=Gay couple flees Russia after same-sex-marriage scandal|work=Refworld|date=29 January 2018}} Another case occurred in June 2020, when Igor Kochetkov received a tax deduction from the Federal Taxation Service under the health insurance scheme of his husband Kirill Fedorov, whom he married in the United States in 2017.{{Cite web |url=https://mbk-news.appspot.com/news/fns-formalno/ |title=ФНС формально признала брак между мужчинами. ЛГБТ-активист смог оформить налоговый вычет на мужа |date=22 June 2020 |access-date=2020-06-22 |archive-date=2020-06-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200623021256/https://mbk-news.appspot.com/news/fns-formalno/|language=ru}}

On 14 October 2020, a bill was submitted to the Federal Assembly to explicitly ban the recognition of foreign marriages which contravene the "fundamental laws of order and morality", including same-sex marriages. The government announced its opposition to the bill on 20 October, and it was not approved.{{Cite web|url=https://tass.ru/politika/9762265|title=В кабмине не поддержали поправки Мизулиной в Семейный кодекс|website=ТАСС|accessdate=2020-11-13|archive-date=2020-11-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201119184348/https://tass.ru/politika/9762265}}

File:Свадьба Ирины и Алёны Шумиловых в Санкт-Петербурге (2).jpg, 7 November 2014]]

The Family Code does not explicitly ban marriages to transgender people. Thus, de facto same-sex marriages are theoretically possible in Russia if one of the spouses is transgender; marriages are only possible if both spouses are of the opposite legal sex.{{cite web|url=http://litresp.ru/chitat/ru/%D0%9A/kochetkov-petrov-igorj/polozhenie-lesbiyanok-geev-biseksualov-transgenderov-v-rossijskoj-federacii|title= Ограничения на вступление в брак в Российской Федерации: особенности теории и правоприменительной практики|date=2009|archive-date =25 February 2018|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180225205908/http://litresp.ru/chitat/ru/%D0%9A/kochetkov-petrov-igorj/polozhenie-lesbiyanok-geev-biseksualov-transgenderov-v-rossijskoj-federaci|work=Library.ru}} On 7 November 2014, Irina Shumilova and Alyona Fursova were married in Saint Petersburg, exploiting this legal loophole as Shumilova had not completed as legal gender change and was still legally a man. Both spouses wore wedding dresses at the ceremony. News of the marriage was leaked to the media, despite the couple not wanting to go public. Employees of the registry office which conducted the marriage said they had "fully complied" with the marriage laws of Russia as Shumilova and Fursova were legally of the opposite sex.{{cite web|title=Ира Шумилова и Алена Фурсова: «Нам важно было заключить брак именно в нашей стране, в России»|url=http://www.sobaka.ru/city/city/30213|work=Собака.ру|date=11 November 2014|archive-date=2018-07-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729230411/http://www.sobaka.ru/city/city/30213

|language=ru}}{{cite web|title=Милонов их не разлучит|url=https://vz.ru/society/2014/11/10/709837.html|date=11 November 2014|archive-date=2018-07-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729171259/https://vz.ru/society/2014/11/10/709837.html

}} A similar case had occurred a few months prior, when Alina Davis, 23, and Alison Brooks, 19, had applied to marry in a registry office on Kutuzovsky Prospekt in Moscow. The application was accepted as Davis was legally a man.{{cite web|title=В Москве поженили двух невест|url=https://www.kpsport.ru/daily/26270/3148680/|work=Комсомольская правда|date=19 August 2014}}

These two cases led MP Vitaly Milonov to introduce legislation banning "inappropriate clothing" at marriages, but the bill was not passed.{{cite web|title=Из-за свадьбы двух невест Милонов предложил ввести в загсах дресс-код|url=https://www.metronews.ru/novosti/peterbourg/reviews/iz-za-svadby-dvuh-nevest-milonov-predlozhil-vvesti-v-zagsah-dress-kod-1156477/?ua=dt|work=Метро|date=13 November 2014|archive-date=2018-07-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729230712/https://www.metronews.ru/novosti/peterbourg/reviews/iz-za-svadby-dvuh-nevest-milonov-predlozhil-vvesti-v-zagsah-dress-kod-1156477/?ua=dt

}} In 2015, MPs Aleksey Zhuravlyov, Anatoly Greshnevikov and Dmitri Gorovstov proposed legislation explicitly banning marriages if one of the spouses has completed or intended to complete a sex change procedure. The bill was rejected by a parliamentary committee on the basis that it would be "impossible" to organize gender checks of all newlyweds.{{cite web|title=Законопроект о запрете браков с трансгендерами внесен в Госдуму|url=https://ria.ru/20150512/1064090685.html|work=РИА Новости|date=12 March 2015|archive-date=2018-07-29|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180729230934/https://ria.ru/society/20150512/1064090685.html |language=ru}} In July 2023, President Vladimir Putin signed into law a bill banning transgender people from modifying their legal gender on official documents and annulling marriages in which one spouse had completed a legal gender change.{{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/24/vladimir-putin-signs-law-banning-gender-changes-in-russia|work=The Guardian|date=24 July 2023|title= Vladimir Putin signs law banning gender changes in Russia}}{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/russia-lgbtq-rights-crackdown-gender-transitioning-b2ec309dc33f2dc3c2d43bd0e2e90670|title=Russian lawmakers move to further restrict transgender rights in new legislation|work=Associated Press|date=13 July 2023|first=Dasha|last=Litvinova}} Transgender people may still be able to marry if they have not completed a legal gender change and if their partner is of the opposite legal sex.

Same-sex marriage is constitutionally banned in all the republics of Russia: Adygea,{{cite web|url=https://www.glavbukh.ru/npd/edoc/81_12952825?anchor=tit1352|language=ru|access-date=6 January 2024|title=Конституция Республики Адыгеи (Адыгеи) от 10.03.1995 № б/н|work=www.glavbukh.ru}} Altai,{{cite web|url=http://ips.pravo.gov.ru/?docbody=&prevdoc=164011100&backlink=1&&nd=164173402|title= О внесении поправок в Конституцию Республики Алтай|language=ru|access-date=17 December 2023|work=ips.pravo.gov.ru}} Bashkortostan,{{cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_bashkor/chapter/e5e7e2428745a5c93e1943f8df7dee2d/|title=Конституция Республики Башкортостан от 24 декабря 1993 г. N ВС-22/15 (с изменениями и дополнениями)|language=ru|access-date=15 December 2023|work=constitution.garant.ru}} Buryatia,{{cite web|url=https://base.garant.ru/404568992/|language=ru|access-date=16 December 2023|title= Закон Республики Бурятия от 29.04.2022 № 2018-VI "О внесении изменений в Конституцию Республики Бурятия"|work=constitution.garant.ru}} Chechnya,{{cite web|url=https://base.garant.ru/75074490/1cafb24d049dcd1e7707a22d98e9858f|work=constitution.garant.ru|language=ru|access-date=18 December 2023|title= конституционный закон чеченской республики от 14 декабря 2020 г. n 2-ркз}} Chuvashia,{{cite web|url=https://base.garant.ru/17533407/|title=Конституция Чувашской Республики|language=ru|access-date=31 December 2023|work=base.garant.ru}} Crimea,{{cite web|url=https://online.zakon.kz/Document/?doc_id=31534019|title=Конституция Республики Крым от 11 апреля 2014 года|language=ru|access-date=2 January 2024|work=online.zakon.kz}} Dagestan,{{cite web|url=https://base.garant.ru/26510003/089b4a5b96814c6974a9dc40194feaf2/|title=Конституция Республики Дагестан (принята Конституционным Собранием 10 июля 2003 г.) (с изменениями и дополнениями)|language=ru|access-date=15 December 2023|work=base.garant.ru}} Ingushetia,{{cite web|url=https://base.garant.ru/406044467/|title=Конституция Республики Ингушетия|access-date=1 January 2024|work=base.garant.ru|language=ru}} Kabardino-Balkaria,{{cite web|url=https://www.garant.ru/hotlaw/kabardin/1545496/|title=Закон Кабардино-Балкарской Республики от 11 мая 2022 г. N 18-РЗ "О поправке к Конституции Кабардино-Балкарской Республики в связи с принятием Федерального закона "Об общих принципах организации публичной власти в субъектах Российской Федерации"|language=ru|access-date=7 January 2024|work=garant.ru}} Kalmykia,{{cite web|url=https://www.garant.ru/hotlaw/kalmyk/1562413/|title=Закон Республики Калмыкия от 21 июля 2022 г. N 230-VI-З "О внесении изменений в Степное Уложение (Конституцию) Республики Калмыкия|work=garant.ru|access-date=17 December 2023|language=ru}} Karachay-Cherkessia,{{cite web|title=Конституционный Закон Карачаево-Черкесской Республики от 7 октября 2020 г. N 58-РКЗ "О внесении изменений в Конституцию Карачаево-Черкесской Республики"|url=https://www.garant.ru/hotlaw/karachaevo/1417694/|language=ru|access-date=7 January 2024|work=garant.ru}} Karelia,{{cite web|url=https://kodeks.karelia.ru/api/show/919001576/|language=ru|title=Конституция Республики Карелия|access-date=16 December 2023|work=kodeks.karelia.ru}} Khakassia,{{cite web|title=Конституционный закон Республики Хакасия от 22 июля 2022 г. N 54-ЗРХ "О внесении изменений в Конституцию Республики Хакасия|url=https://www.garant.ru/hotlaw/hakas/1560147/|work=garant.ru|access-date=17 December 2023|language=ru}} Komi,{{cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_komi/chapter/478b4d0990e492511bea1e634e90a7b7/|title=Конституция Республики Коми|language=ru|access-date=31 December 2023|work=constitution.garant.ru}} Mari El,{{cite web|url=https://mari-el.gov.ru/upload/pravo/constitution_RME.pdf|language=ru|access-date=2 January 2024|work=mari-el.gov.ru|title=Конституцию Республики Марий Эл}} Mordovia,{{cite web|url=https://garant.ru/hotlaw/mordovia/1413638/|title=Закон Республики Мордовия от 16 сентября 2020 г. N 61-З "О внесении изменений в Конституцию Республики Мордовия"|language=ru|access-date=15 December 2023|work=garant.ru}} North Ossetia–Alania,{{cite web|url=https://base.garant.ru/404828783/1cafb24d049dcd1e7707a22d98e9858f/|title=Конституция Республики Северная Осетия-Алания (принята Верховным Советом Республики Северная Осетия 12 ноября 1994 г.) (с изменениями и дополнениями)|language=ru|access-date=3 January 2024|work=base.garant.ru}} Sakha,{{cite web|url=https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_saha/chapter/9d78f2e21a0e8d6e5a75ac4e4a939832/|title=Конституция (Основной Закон) Республики Саха (Якутия) (с изменениями и дополнениями)|language=ru|access-date=17 December 2023|work=constitution.garant.ru}} Tatarstan,{{cite web|url= https://constitution.garant.ru/region/cons_tatar/chapter/31c8140a2e1dc585c5111b6d2281821d/|title=Конституция Республики Татарстан от 6 ноября 1992 г. (с изменениями и дополнениями)|access-date=15 December 2023|language=ru}} Tuva,{{cite web|url= https://constitutii.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/tuva.pdf|title= Конституция Республики Тыва|language=ru|access-date=16 December 2023|work=constitutii.files.wordpress.com}} and Udmurtia.{{cite web|url=https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4682197|title=Конституция Удмуртии идет на поправку|language=ru|date=8 February 2021|work=Kommersant}} Their constitutions define marriage as "the voluntary union of a woman and a man". Many were amended in the aftermath of the 2020 constitutional referendum, which also modified the Russian Constitution to ban same-sex marriages. Previously, their constitutions did not contain an explicit ban on same-sex marriages and either did not address the issue or defined marriage as "based on the voluntary consent and equality of the spouses". Same-sex marriage is also banned by law in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast.{{cite web|url=http://ips.pravo.gov.ru/?docbody=&prevDoc=185021971&backlink=1&&nd=185014965|language=ru|title=Устав Еврейской автономной области|work=ips.pravo.gov.ru|access-date=6 January 2024}}

Marriage is a legislative power of the Russian Parliament. Republics may enact their own family laws provided they do not conflict with the federal Family Code, which is the primary source of family law in Russia. Article 1(4) of the Family Code of the Republic of Tatarstan ({{langx|ru|Семейный кодекс Республики Татарстан|Seméjnyj kódeks Respúbliki Tatarstán|links=no}}; {{langx|tt|Татарстан Республикасының Гаилә кодексы|Tatarstan Respublikasınıñ Gailä kodeksı}}){{cite web|url=https://minjust.tatarstan.ru/tat/index.htm/news/26422.htm|title="Татарстан Республикасының Гаилә Кодексы" турында|work=minjust.tatarstan.ru|language=tt|date=26 January 2009}} defines marriage as the "union of a man and a woman".{{cite web|url=https://base.garant.ru/8147402/1cafb24d049dcd1e7707a22d98e9858f/|title=Семейный кодекс РТ от 13 января 2009 г. N 4-ЗРТ (с изменениями и дополнениями)|language=ru|access-date=16 December 2023|work=constitution.garant.ru}} Similarly, article 1(3) of the Family Code of the Republic of Bashkortostan ({{langx|ru|Семейный кодекс Республики Башкортостан|links=no|Seméjnyj kódeks Respúbliki Baškortostán}}; {{langx|ba|Башҡортостан Республикаһының Ғаилә кодексы|Bashqortostan Respublikahınıñ Ğailə kodeksı}}){{cite web|url=https://bash.bashinform.ru/news/social/2024-01-16/bash-ortostanda-bala-t-rbi-l-g-n-atay-elekke-atynynan-aliment-talap-iterg-ho-u-ly-3604532|title=Башҡортостанда бала тәрбиәләгән атай элекке ҡатынынан алимент талап итергә хоҡуҡлы|work=Bashinform|date=16 January 2024|language=ba}} states that "family relations are based on the voluntary union of a man and a woman".{{cite web|url=https://base.garant.ru/17750356/4b16257c478539d02689e6381119d7b3/ |title=Семейный кодекс Республики Башкортостан от 2 марта 1994 г. N ВС-22/34 (с изменениями и дополнениями)|language=ru|access-date=16 December 2023|work=constitution.garant.ru}} The Family Code of the Donetsk People's Republic ({{langx|ru|Семейный кодекс Донецкой Народной Республики|Seméynyj kódeks Donétskoy Naródnoy Respúbliki|links=no}}), a contested republic annexed by Russia in 2022, also defines marriage as the "marital union of a man and a woman".{{cite web|url=http://npa.dnronline.su/2020-07-30/semejnyj-kodeks-donetskoj-narodnoj-respubliki.html|title=Семейный кодекс Донецкой Народной Республики|language=ru|access-date=31 July 2024|work=npa.dnronline.su|date=30 July 2020 }}

In 2016, the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) ruled that Russia had violated the rights of a Kazakh man who lived with his Russian same-sex partner in Yekaterinburg. The man had lived with his partner for several years but as a non-Russian national was not permitted to remain in the country indefinitely. Immigrations officials had refused to issue the plaintiff a residence permit recognizing his stable cohabitation with a Russian citizen. While lower courts refused to issue him a permit, the ECHR ruled that their relationship was protected by the right to private life and family life guaranteed by the European Convention of Human Rights.{{cite web|title=Комментарий Аниты Соболевой к постановлению ЕСПЧ от 15 марта 2016 г. «Новрук и другие против России» о нарушении прав ВИЧ-положительных иностранцев, имеющих семьи в России»|url=http://ilpp.ru/news/analitika/2016/07/04/analitika_645.html|work=Институт права и публичной политики|date=4 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180225205814/http://ilpp.ru/news/analitika/2016/07/04/analitika_645.html|archive-date=2018-02-25|language=ru}}

Russia does not recognize registered partnerships ({{langx|ru|гражданское партнёрство}}, {{transliteration|ru|graždánskoje partnjórstvo}}, {{IPA|ru|ɡrɐʐˈdanskəjə pɐrtˈnʲɵrstvə|pron}}),{{efn|In some regional languages of Russia:

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}

• {{langx|agx|ватандашинф союз|vatandašinf sojuz}}
• {{langx|rut|ватангьаIлиешды союз|vatanğaʼlieşdı soyuz}}{{Explain|reason=The Cyrillic character Palochka is not accepted by the Trasnliteration template. Furthermore, are the Latin Rutul, Nogai etc. alphabets used in Azerbaijan appropriate as romanizations?|date=February 2025}}
• {{langx|tab|ватандашарин союз|vatandašarin sojuz}}
• {{langx|ttt|союз ватандаши|sojuz vatandaši|label=Tat}}{{cite web|url=https://stmegi.com/upload/iblock/e28/e2855be2e33504bb52cf3b6d948db2bb.pdf|title=Татский ЯЗЬIК горских евреев Кавказа|work=stmegi.com|access-date=1 April 2024}}
• {{langx|tkr|ватандашна союз|vatandaşna soyuz}}.

{{div col end}}}} which would offer a subset of the rights, benefits and obligations of marriage for opposite-sex or same-sex couples. In 2018, some lawmakers introduced legislation to recognize opposite-sex registered partnerships. However, the bill was rejected due to concerns that it could in the future lead to the recognition of same-sex unions.{{cite web|title=Узаконить сожительство в России мешают европейские гей-браки|url=https://vz.ru/society/2018/1/22/904674.html|work=Взгляд|date=22 January 2018|archive-date=2018-12-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205004207/https://vz.ru/society/2018/1/22/904674.html|language=ru}}

In 2016, the social-liberal Yabloko party adopted a party platform supporting civil partnerships.{{cite news|title=Первый шаг|url=https://www.svoboda.org/a/27965289.html|work=Радио Свобода|date=3 September 2016|archive-date=2018-08-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803014607/https://www.svoboda.org/a/27965289.html |last1=Шевченко |first1=Дарина }} While running in the 2018 presidential election, Ksenia Sobchak expressed her support for civil unions.{{cite web|title=123 трудных шага Собчак|url=https://newtimes.ru/articles/detail/136937/|work=The New Times|date=23 December 2017|archive-date=2018-08-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180803014246/https://newtimes.ru/articles/detail/136937/}}

{{Same-sex marriage map Europe|align=right}}

Historical research has shown that during the time of the Russian Empire in the early 20th century, when homosexuality was still outlawed and same-sex relationships were taboo, some couples established "marriage contracts" and lived together in joint households. One couple, Nikolay Polyakov and Stepan Minin, were known to have lived together until 1933 when they were arrested in an anti-gay purge organized by Soviet authorities.{{cite book|title=Homosexual Desire in Revolutionary Russia|first=Dan|last=Healey|date=2001|publisher=University of Chicago Press}} In 1922, Evgenia Fyodorovna, dressing as a man and having forged fake identity documents, married her partner in Saint Petersburg. Authorities soon discovered that Fyodorovna was in fact a woman and opened a criminal case against the couple, accusing them of a "crime against nature". The People's Commissariat of Justice later ruled the marriage "legal, as concluded by mutual consent". After Joseph Stalin came to power in 1924, oppression of LGBT people increased and same-sex unions between men were re-criminalized. Despite this, attempts to register same-sex marriages continued. In 1965, a woman known only by her initials O.A. forged a passport with a male name and married her partner. Similarly, in the 1970s, Olga Krause married her partner in Saint Petersburg after having forged a fake passport.{{cite book|title=Мужской паспорт, женитьба и запрещенный Бродский|url=https://www.proza.ru/2006/10/16-362|first=Olga|last=Krauze|date=2006|publisher=New Reality}}

In the early 1990s, activists including Evgenia Debryanskaya and Roman Kalinin began calling for the legalization of same-sex marriage in Russia.{{cite news|title=Уставшие в печальной стране|newspaper=Радио Свобода |url=https://www.svoboda.org/a/27310427.html|date=31 October 2015|archive-date=2018-08-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180829072203/https://www.svoboda.org/a/27310427.html

|last1=Волчек |first1=Дмитрий }} In April 1994, Slava Mogutin and his partner Robert Filippini applied to marry at a registry office in Moscow. Although the director of the office was sympathetic, she said she could not by law perform the marriage. This made the couple the target of highly publicized criminal cases, carrying potential prison sentences of up to 7 years' imprisonment. The couple later fled and filed for political asylum in the United States.{{cite web|first=Owen|last=Myers|title=Kissing in the Kremlin. How Russian artist Slava Mogutin nearly held the first modern gay marriage|url=http://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/17193/1/kissing-in-the-kremlin|work=Dazed|date=19 September 2013|archive-date=2019-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202140045/https://www.dazeddigital.com/artsandculture/article/17193/1/kissing-in-the-kremlin

}}

{{Same-sex marriage map Asia|align=right}}

In 2003 to 2005, there were active debates in civil society surrounding the issue of same-sex marriage. This was facilitated by its legalization in the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, and Canada, and attempts by several Russian same-sex couples to marry at registry offices.{{cite web|title=Права человека в регионах Российской Федерации: доклад о событиях 2004 года|url=https://www.mhg.ru/sites/default/files/files/pch-rf-mhg-2004.pdf|work=Московская Хельсинкская группа|date=2005|archive-date=2017-10-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016185632/https://www.mhg.ru/sites/default/files/files/pch-rf-mhg-2004.pdf|language=ru}}

In 2003, Denis Gogolev and Mikhail Morozov were secretly married in a church in Nizhny Novgorod by a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church. The move proved controversial, and the couple were later turned away when they attempted to register their marriage at a registry office.{{cite web|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2003/09/09/world/nizhny-novgorod-journal-men-marry-with-and-without-a-church-blessing.html|work=The New York Times|title= Nizhny Novgorod Journal; Men Marry, With and Without a Church Blessing|date=9 September 2003|first=Seth|last=Mydans}} The Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church later declared the marriage "null and void".{{cite web|title=В Нижнем Новгороде запрещен в служении священник, обвенчавший двух мужчин|url=https://www.newsru.com/religy/04sep2003/homoehe.html|work=Newsru.com|date=4 September 2003|archive-date=2018-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414010526/https://www.newsru.com/religy/04sep2003/homoehe.html|language=ru}} In September 2005, the couple entered a "partnership agreement", drawn up by a notary, which acknowledged the couple's cohabitation and guaranteed certain de facto rights, such as property rights and inheritance, if the couple were to separate or if one of the partners were to die.{{cite news|title=Впервые в России геи подписали «брачный контракт»|url=https://www.nnov.kp.ru/daily/23587.4/230144/|work=Комсомольская правда|date=30 September 2005|archive-date=2018-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414091517/https://www.nnov.kp.ru/daily/23587.4/230144/

}} In 2004, two women in Tula were married at a local registry office because the Georgian surname of one of them seemed "masculine" to government officials.

In April 2004, Eduard Murzin, a member of the State Assembly of the Republic of Bashkortostan, introduced a bill to legalize same-sex marriage in Bashkortostan by removing statutory language that banned same-sex marriage in the republic. The bill was not put to a vote. In January 2005, Murzin, who is heterosexual, and Eduard Mishin, editor-in-chief of a gay magazine, submitted an application to marry in the Butyrsky District in Moscow. They were rejected, and subsequently filed a case challenging the refusal in court. They argued that prohibiting same-sex couples from marrying violated Article 19 of the Russian Constitution. A lower court dismissed their lawsuit on 15 February, and the Moscow City Court upheld this decision in April 2005. The Supreme Court of Russia later rejected Murzin's appeal, ruling that it was not authorized to modify the law.{{cite news|title=Отважные гомосексуалисты вызвали огонь на себя|url=http://www.polit.ru/news/2005/01/20/homo/|work=Полит.ру|date=20 January 2005|archive-date=2018-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414011432/http://www.polit.ru/news/2005/01/20/homo/|language=ru}} In November 2006, the Constitutional Court dismissed an appeal and upheld the statutory ban on same-sex marriages as constitutional. The European Court of Human Rights dismissed the case without comment in June 2008. Murzin was not only criticized by conservatives and religious leaders, but also by LGBT activists who questioned the timing of the litigation, noting that Russia had no anti-discrimination laws at the time.{{cite web|title=Европейский суд рассмотрит жалобу башкирского политика - защитника прав сексуальных меньшинств|url=https://regnum.ru/news/480465.html|work=Регнум|date=6 July 2005|archive-date=2018-04-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180414091450/https://regnum.ru/news/480465.html|language=ru}}{{cite web|url= https://www.thepinknews.com/2008/11/12/european-court-of-human-rights-rejects-russian-gay-marriage-case/|title= European Court of Human Rights rejects Russian "gay" marriage case|work=PinkNews|date=12 November 2008|first=Tony|last=Grew}} During this time, some activists in Karelia also publicly called on the Legislative Assembly of the Republic of Karelia to legalize same-sex marriage.{{cite web|url=https://www.zaks.ru/new/archive/view/46880|language=ru|date=2 June 2008|title=Карельские правозащитники хотят легализовать однополые браки|work=ZakS.Ru}}

In April 2006, Rabbi Nellie Shulman blessed the marriage of a Jewish lesbian couple in Moscow. The marriage was controversial and strongly condemned by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia.{{cite web|title=Раввины России призывают к бойкоту реформистского крыла иудаизма|url=http://newsru.co.il/world/18may2006/jew_ru.html|work=NEWSru.com|date=18 May 2006|language=ru|archive-date=2018-09-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180911225520/http://newsru.co.il/world/18may2006/jew_ru.html}}

{{main|Fedotova and Others v. Russia}}

File:Lesbianmarriageinmoscowmay2009.jpg in Moscow, where they were later denied a marriage license, 12 May 2009]]

In April 2009, LGBT activist Nikolay Alexeyev launched a campaign to legalize same-sex marriage in Russia. On 12 May 2009, a lesbian couple, Irina Fedotova and Irina Shipitko, applied for a marriage license at the Tverskoy Office for the Registration of Civil Acts in the Tverskoy District in Moscow. The couple said, "We are no different from other people. […] We love Russia, we were born and live here, and we want our marriage to be recognized in Russia. […] We have love, we have happiness, we want to be together for our whole lives and we want to do this here in Russia."{{cite news |title=In Moscow, an Attempt to Wed Pushes Gay Rights |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/world/europe/13moscow.html?_r=2 |date= 2009-05-13|work= The New York Times|access-date=3 August 2009 | first=Michael | last=Schwirtz}}{{cite news |title= Violence feared over Moscow gay march |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8050068.stm |date= 2009-05-14|work= BBC News|access-date=3 August 2009 |first=Richard |last=Galpin}} The couple said they did not expect their marriage to be registered, but hoped the attempt would draw attention to the issue of LGBT rights in Russia. The registration attempt occurred a few days before Slavic Pride scheduled for 16 May in Moscow.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/russian-gays-risk-eurovision-confrontation-1679453.html|title=Russian gays risk Eurovision confrontation|first=Peter|last=Leonard|date=May 5, 2009|agency=Associated Press|access-date=2009-05-12 | location=London | work=The Independent}}

The registry office indeed refused to issue them a license, citing article 1(3) of the Family Code. The couple received a written denial from the head of the office, Svetlana Potamyshneva, who denied to register the marriage stating that "Point 3 of Article 1 of the Family Code of Russia stipulates that the regulation of family relations must adhere to the principle of a voluntary union between a man and a woman." In June 2009, the couple challenged the denial to the Tverskoy District Court, claiming that "the Russian Constitution and family laws do not prohibit same-sex marriages. In addition, family and marriage rights, including those same-sex, are guaranteed with Articles 8 and 12 of the European Human Rights Convention ratified by the Russian Federation". The court scheduled oral arguments for 26 August 2009, but later postponed them to 9 September and then to 6 October.{{cite web |title=Russian lesbian couple go to court over right to marry |url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/08/27/russian-lesbian-couple-go-to-court-over-right-to-marry/ |date=2009-08-27 |publisher=Pink News |access-date=2009-10-07}}{{cite news |title=Gay marriage court case sparks kisses and clashes |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/687146 |date= 2009-08-27|work= The Star|access-date=27 August 2009 | location=Toronto}} The District Court dismissed their case on 6 October, citing the 2006 judgement of the Constitutional Court in the Murzin case that there was no constitutional violation in denying marriage rights to same-sex couples. Alexeyev told journalists that the case would be appealed up to Supreme Court and to the European Court of Human Rights. The couple announced they would legally register their marriage in Canada and later seek its legal recognition in Russia.{{cite news |title=Russian court blocks same-sex wedding |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/russian-court-blocks-same-sex-wedding-1.792396 |work= CBC News|access-date=21 July 2009}}{{cite web |title=Moscow court finds refusal to register same-sex marriage |url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2009/10/06/russian-court-denies-lesbians-the-right-to-marry/ |access-date=21 July 2009}} The couple married as planned in Toronto on 23 October in a ceremony officiated by Judge Harvey Brownstone. Numerous media and local activists were present at the ceremony during which Fedotova and Shipitko exchanged vows. The newlywed couple received their marriage license, which they hoped would be recognized in Russia upon coming back home.{{cite news |title=Lesbians to attempt first gay marriage in Russia |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE5453Z320090506 |date= May 6, 2009|work= Reuters|access-date=20 July 2009}}{{cite news |title=Russian lesbians denied country's first gay marriage |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/lifestyleMolt/idUSTRE54B4NU20090512 |date=2009-05-12 |publisher=Reuters |access-date=20 July 2009}}{{cite web |title= Russian lesbians tie the knot in Toronto |url=http://www.tips-q.com/news/msm/1523091-russian-lesbians-tie-knot-toronto |access-date=3 August 2009}}{{cite news |title= From Russia, to get married |url=https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/714763--from-russia-to-get-married |work= The Star|access-date=3 August 2009 | location=Toronto | first1=Raveena | last1=Aulakh | first2=Denise | last2=Balkissoon}}{{cite web |title= Russian lesbians travel to Toronto to wed

|url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/International/2009/10/23/Russian-lesbians-travel-to-Toronto-to-wed/UPI-38211256309256/ |access-date=3 August 2009}} On 21 January 2010, the Moscow City Court upheld the decision of the Tverskoy District Court.{{cite web |title=Moscow court rules refusal to register same-sex marriage legal |url=http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=14741305&PageNum=0 |access-date=21 July 2009}}{{cite web |title=Moscow City Court turns down lesbians' complaint |url=http://www.interfax-religion.com/?act=news&div=6835 |access-date=21 July 2009}} The couple later appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which registered their case on 18 January 2011.

In June 2013, five same-sex couples—three male couples and two lesbian couples—applied to marry at a local registry office in Saint Petersburg. The office refused to perform the marriages citing article 1(3) of the Family Code.{{cite web|title=Петербургские геи, пришедшие зарегистрировать брак, напугали администрацию ЗАГСа|url=http://www.rosbalt.ru/piter/2013/06/28/1146331.html|work=Росбалт|date=28 June 2013|archive-date=2014-11-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109151243/http://www.rosbalt.ru/piter/2013/06/28/1146331.html|language=ru}} On 26 July 2013, one of the couples, Dmitry Chunosov and Yaroslav Yevtushenko, challenged the refusal in court in the Gryazinsky District, Lipetsk. On 2 August 2013, a lower court in Gryazi dismissed the case, citing the 2006 Murzin ruling, as well as the 2013 Russian gay propaganda law and the 2010 ECHR case in Schalk and Kopf v. Austria that member states are not obliged to recognize same-sex marriages. The decision was upheld on appeal on 7 October 2013 by the Lipetsk Regional Court.{{cite web|title=Липецкий суд подтвердил, что петербургский ЗАГС законно отказал геям в регистрации брака|url=http://www.rosbalt.ru/piter/2013/10/08/1184914.html|work=Росбалт|date=8 October 2013|archive-date=2014-11-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109152516/http://www.rosbalt.ru/piter/2013/10/08/1184914.html|language=ru}} The other couples' cases were also dismissed; Ilmira Shayhraznova and Elena Yakovleva also in Gryazi, Pavel Lebedev and Kirill Kalugin in Voronezh, Yury Gavrikov and Maxim Lysak in Saint Petersburg, and Yana Petrova and Elena Davydova in Moscow.{{cite web|title=Октябрьский районный суд подтвердил законность отказа петербургского ЗАГСа регистрировать гей-пару|url=http://www.rosbalt.ru/piter/2013/10/16/1188722.html|work=Росбалт|date=16 October 2013|archive-date=2014-11-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109152132/http://www.rosbalt.ru/piter/2013/10/16/1188722.html|language=ru}}{{cite web|title=ЛГБТ-активисты подали апелляцию на решение суда по гей-бракам|url=http://www.rosbalt.ru/piter/2013/12/12/1210735.html|language=ru|work=Росбалт|date=16 December 2023|archive-date=2014-11-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141109151939/http://www.rosbalt.ru/piter/2013/12/12/1210735.html}} Chunosov and Yevtushenko, and Shayhraznova and Yakovleva appealed their cases to the ECHR, which combined them for oral arguments with Fedotova.{{cite web|url=http://hudoc.echr.coe.int/eng?i=001-163362|title=Fedotova and Shipitko v. Russia|work=European Court of Human Rights|access-date=15 December 2023}}

The couples argued that Russia had violated Article 12 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the right to marry, Article 8, which guarantees a right to private and family life, and Article 14, which provides a right not to be discriminated against. In July 2021, the ECHR ruled in Fedotova and Others v. Russia that Russia "had an obligation to ensure respect for the applicants' private and family life by providing a legal framework allowing them to have their relationships acknowledged." It rejected the Russian Government's argument about public disapproval of same-sex unions, finding that "access to rights for a minority could not be dependent on the acceptance of the majority."{{cite news |title=European court urges Russia to acknowledge same-sex unions |url=https://apnews.com/article/europe-lifestyle-government-and-politics-russia-b2af9db02b249865665dc58221d2832f |access-date=26 September 2021 |work=AP NEWS |date=13 July 2021 |language=en}} Referring to the 2020 constitutional amendments, the court stated that Russia could give same-sex couples "access to formal acknowledgment of their couples' status in a form other than marriage", which would not conflict with the "traditional understanding on marriage" in Russia. A lawyer representing the plaintiff couples said it was unlikely that "Russia would implement [the judgment]". The Grand Chamber upheld the ruling on 17 January 2023. It held by fourteen votes to three that there had been a violation of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. This decision places a positive obligation on all member states of the Council of Europe to legalize same-sex partnerships. However, Russia was expelled from the Council of Europe on 16 March 2022 due to its invasion of Ukraine, and ceased to be a party to the ECHR on 16 September 2022.

While there are no records of same-sex marriages as understood from a Western perspective being performed among the indigenous peoples of Siberia, there is evidence for identities and behaviours that may be placed on the LGBT spectrum. Many of these cultures recognized two-spirit individuals who were born male but wore women's clothing and performed everyday household work and artistic handiwork which were regarded as belonging to the feminine sphere.{{cite book|title=Men as women, women as men: changing gender in Native American cultures|url=https://archive.org/details/menaswomenwomena0000lang|url-access=registration|author=Sabine Lang|publisher=University of Texas Press |year=1998 |isbn=0-292-74701-2}} This two-spirit status allowed for marriages between two biological males or two biological females to be performed among some of these tribes. Among the Aleut, an indigenous people living on the Aleutian Islands, two-spirit individuals wore women's clothing and "copied all aspects of the feminine role", with such authenticity that "strangers to the tribe were not able to distinguish them from biological women". They are known in their language as {{lang|ale|ayagigux̂}} (айагигуӽ, {{IPA|ale|ˌajaˈɣiɣoχ|pron}}). Marriages between ayagigux̂ and cisgender men, often a tribal chief, were commonplace, suggesting that such marriages had prestige value, "The husband regarded his ayagigux̂ as a major social accomplishment, and the family profited from association with their new wealthy in-law." Wealthy Aleut men usually maintained polygynous marriages, and so it is likely that the ayagigux̂ were not exclusive wives, but rather part of a polygynous marital relationship.{{cite web|url=https://womenof1000ad.weebly.com/ayagigux770.html|title=Ayagigux̂|website=womenof1000ad.weebly.com|accessdate=August 13, 2022|archive-date=April 19, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220419144909/https://womenof1000ad.weebly.com/ayagigux770.html}}

The Siberian Yupiks refer to two-spirit individuals as {{lang|ess|aghnaasiq}} (аӷна̄сиқ, {{IPA|ess|ɑʁˈnɑːsiq|pron}}).{{cite web|url=http://computational.linguistics.illinois.edu/yupik/index_dictionary_transducer.html|title=St. Lawrence Island / Central Siberian Yupik Dictionary|work=computational.linguistics.illinois.edu|access-date=1 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401164549/http://computational.linguistics.illinois.edu/yupik/index_dictionary_transducer.html|archive-date=April 1, 2024}} They wore women's clothing and occupied a cultural position as shamans, and were "regarded as especially powerful". The aghnaasiq could marry either men or women. Among the Chukchi people, the "most powerful shamans" were "transformed men who have so thoroughly adopted the characteristics of femininity that it is believed they can give birth to spirits", known as {{lang|ckt|йыркъаԓявыԓ}} ({{transliteration|ckt|jyrkʺaḷâvyḷ}}, {{IPA|ckt|jərkʔaɬˈjawəɬ}}.{{cite web|url=http://chukdict.com/|title=Чукотский словарь|work=chukdict.com|access-date=1 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202171022/http://chukdict.com/|archive-date=2 December 2022}} These individuals could enter into socially condoned marriages with young girls. This is "further accompanied by a marriage to a spiritual entity that can direct and command the household vicariously through the vessel of the shaman".{{cite journal|title=Queer Theory and the Shamanic Ideal: Towards an Anthropology of Ecstasy, Affect, and Sexual Pluralism|date=2018|volume=6|first=Joel|journal=The Wollesen: University of Toronto Art Journal|last=Bourland}} Anthropologist Vladimir Bogoraz also reported female shamans who "transformed into men", known as {{lang|ckt|ӄԓикэтгичеӈ}} ({{transliteration|ckt|ḳḷikètgičeň}}, {{IPA|ckt|qɬiketˈɣitʃeŋ|pron}}). "Such transformations were always on a spirit's orders and were greatly feared by the young shamans who wished to remain their biological gender.", according to Bogoraz.{{cite web|url=http://taktsang.co.uk/Articles/ShamanTransformed.pdf|title=The Shaman Transformed: Transgenderism in Siberian Shamanism|work=taktsang.co.uk|access-date=1 April 2024}}

The Russian Orthodox Church remains strongly opposed to same-sex marriage. In 2016, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow called same-sex marriage a form of "Soviet totalitarianism", and in May 2017 likened it to Nazism during a visit to Kyrgyzstan.{{cite news|last1=Solomon|first1=Feliz|title=Russia's Highest Religious Authority Just Compared Gay Marriage to Nazi Germany|url=https://time.com/4797521/russia-orthodox-gay-marriage-nazi-germany/|access-date=31 May 2017|work=The Times|date=May 30, 2017}} In 2003, a priest secretly married a same-sex couple, but was dismissed and the marriage declared "null and void".

Opinion polls have reported a decline in support for same-sex marriage in Russia. A 1995 survey by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (RPORC; {{lang|ru|Всероссийский центр изучения общественного мнения}}) showed that 18% of Russians had a positive view of same-sex marriage, while 38% had a negative one. In January 2005, a RPORC poll showed that support had decreased to 14%, while 59% were opposed.{{cite web|title=Большинство россиян терпимо относятся к секс-меньшинствам, но против однополых браков|url=https://www.newsru.com/russia/16feb2005/opros.html|work=Newsru.com|date=16 February 2005|archive-date=2018-08-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802223741/https://www.newsru.com/russia/16feb2005/opros.html}} A May 2005 poll from the Levada Center ({{lang|ru|Левада-Центр}}) showed similar numbers supporting same-sex marriage, 14.3%, while 73.4% were opposed.{{cite journal|doi=10.1080/10894160.2016.1191305|journal=Levada Center|title="Telling our stories": Print media interpretations of Moscow lesbians' life stories in 2004 and 2005|first=Natasha|last=Bingham|date=2016|volume=21|issue=1|pages=120–131|pmid=27710214 }}

According to the Levada Center, support for same-sex marriage declined from 14% in 2010 to 10% in 2012, 5% in 2013 and 7% in 2015.{{cite web|title=Пресс-выпуск. «Невидимое меньшинство»: к проблеме гомофобии в России|url=https://www.levada.ru/2015/05/05/nevidimoe-menshinstvo-k-probleme-gomofobii-v-rossii/|work=Levada Center|date=5 May 2015|archive-date=2021-08-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810142106/https://www.levada.ru/2015/05/05/nevidimoe-menshinstvo-k-probleme-gomofobii-v-rossii/}} An April–July 2015 survey conducted by the RPORC showed that 8% of Russians supported same-sex marriage, while 80% were opposed. Alexei Firsov, RPORC's communications director, was quoted as saying, "It's interesting that we [Russia] are swimming against the current, strengthening, despite global trends, intolerance toward homosexual relationships. This indicator might serve as a parameter of national identification."{{cite web|url=https://themoscowtimes.com/articles/poll-shows-russian-attitudes-to-gay-people-are-worse-than-decade-ago-48066|work=The Moscow Times|title=Poll Shows Russian Attitudes to Gay People Are Worse Than Decade Ago|date=10 July 2015|first=Daria|last=Litvinova}} A survey by the Pew Research Center, conducted between 1 July and 31 July 2015, found that 5% of Russians favored or strongly favored allowing gays and lesbians to marry, whereas 90% opposed. This was one of the lowest levels of support among the 18 Eastern European countries polled, with only Georgia and Armenia reporting lower levels of support, both at 3%. Support was 3% among Russians aged 35 and above, 5% among Orthodox people, 8% among irreligious people, and 9% among 18–34-year-olds.{{cite web|url=http://assets.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2017/05/15120244/CEUP-FULL-REPORT.pdf|date=10 May 2017|work=Pew Research Center|title=Religious Belief and National Belonging in Central and Eastern Europe}}{{cite web|url=https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2017/05/10/social-views-and-morality/|title=Social views and morality|work=Pew Research Center|date=10 May 2017}}

A June 2019 Public Opinion Foundation ({{lang|ru|Фонд Общественное Мнение}}) survey showed that 7% of Russian respondents supported same-sex marriage, while 85% were opposed and 8% were undecided.{{cite web|url=https://fom.ru/Obraz-zhizni/14220/|language=ru|title=Отношение к сексменьшинствам|date=13 June 2019|work=Public Opinion Foundation}} A 2021 RPORC poll showed that support had increased to 12%, whereas 75% of Russians were opposed and 13% were undecided or did not answer.{{cite web|title=Однополые браки: табу или новая норма?|url=https://wciom.ru/analytical-reviews/analiticheskii-obzor/odnopolye-braki-tabu-ili-novaja-norma|work=ВЦИОМ|date=23 July 2021|archive-date=2023-07-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702084851/https://wciom.ru/analytical-reviews/analiticheskii-obzor/odnopolye-braki-tabu-ili-novaja-norma}}

Polls have shown that support for same-sex marriage is highest among women, young people, people who have completed higher education, liberals, people with high incomes, and residents of Moscow and Saint Petersburg.{{cite web|title=Религия в российском обществе. Традиционные религиозные и либеральные взгляды|url=http://www.oprf.ru/files/dokument2011/religiya09022012.pdf|work=Общественная палата Российской Федерации|language=ru|date=2012|archive-date=2012-05-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120522171942/http://www.oprf.ru/files/dokument2011/religiya09022012.pdf}} For instance, a 2008 Agency for Social Information ({{lang|ru|Агентство Социальной Информации}}) poll showed that 34% of Saint Petersburg residents supported same-sex marriage.{{cite web|title=Гей! Славяне! Гомофобия грядет!|url=http://www.rosbalt.ru/piter/2008/03/27/469124.html|work=Росбалт|date=27 March 2008|archive-date=2018-08-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180802193302/http://www.rosbalt.ru/piter/2008/03/27/469124.html}} In 2011, support was 21% in both Moscow and Saint Petersburg. This declining trend of support for same-sex marriage has been attributed to anti-gay state propaganda and growing anti-Western and traditionalist sentiment in Russia under Vladimir Putin.

• Gayrussia.ru
• LGBT rights in Russia
• LGBT culture in Russia
• Moscow Pride
• Nikolay Alexeyev
• Recognition of same-sex unions in Asia
• Recognition of same-sex unions in Europe

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{{commons category|Same-sex marriage in Russia|lcfirst=yes}}

• {{cite journal|title=Same-Sex Marriages Inside the Closet: Deconstruction of Gay and Lesbian Discourses in Russia|first=Alexander|last=Kondakov|date=2011|volume=1|issue=1|journal=Oñati Socio-Legal Series|url=https://ssrn.com/abstract=1737357}}

{{LGBT in Russia}}

{{Europe topic|Recognition of same-sex unions in}}

{{Asia topic|Recognition of same-sex unions in}}

{{Status of same-sex unions}}

Category:LGBTQ rights in Russia