Attorney: Gay couple with children targeted while on vacation outside Russia may choose not to return

A same-sex couple from Moscow whose home was searched after investigators learned that they are raising two children may choose not to come back to Russia from a vacation abroad, attorney Maxim Olenichev said.

“They are currently on vacation outside the country until the end of the summer. They are following recent developments and will decide by the end of their vacation whether it is worthwhile for them to return or not,” he explained.

The LGBTQ-rights group “Stimul” (Stimulus) had previously reported that the couple’s children are traveling with them.

On the morning of July 19, reports emerged that law enforcement officials had searched the family’s home as well as those of their close relatives. Officers also called the father of one member of the couple in for questioning. The searches followed reports of a criminal negligence case against social workers who allowed the children to live with their adopted fathers.