Other frontlines: How the war in Ukraine is transforming the LGBTQ+ rights landscape in Europe

People take part in the annual Gay Pride Parade, under the protection of riot police in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sept. 19, 2021. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

For Ukrainian LGBTQ+ rights activists, a Russian victory is an existential threat to both the sovereignty of Ukraine and the rights of LGBTQ+ people.

In his Feb. 24 speech, President Vladimir Putin used LGBTQ+ rights as a justification for his military operation, arguing that the West sought to destroy Russian “traditional values” with their “false values.”