Photos: Facebook. LGBT+ activist and human rights defender Yelena Grigoreva was found dead on July 21 on a street in St. Petersburg. According to police reports, her body showed multiple stab wounds. Fontanka, a St. Petersburg news outlet, reported that she was stabbed in the face and back and strangled. They also reported that a suspect was arrested in connection with the crime. Grigoreva, 41, was a lesbian activist who defended the rights of the LGBTI community in Russia. She had previously reported death threats from ultranationalist and homophobic groups, who had included her name on a blacklist of a secret internet group. The threats against Grigoreva were reported to the police. Activists say that no investigation was conducted into whether there was a real risk to the activist and human rights defender. LGBTI rights organizations report that attacks have intensified in recent months and lament the rising levels of intolerance.

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Days before she was murdered, Grigoriev posted a guide on her Facebook page offering advice on how to confront hate groups. In addition to her advocacy for LGBTQ+ rights, Grigoriev was also very active in defending natural resources and civil rights. She participated in marches demanding the release of Ukrainian political prisoners and opposed Russia's annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.

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In 2013, the Russian government passed legislation known as the "gay propaganda law" that prohibited the dissemination of material depicting "non-traditional" relationships to children under 10 years old.