With Russia’s invasion into Ukraine, an unfolding human rights catastrophe threatens to become an incoming reality putting LGBTQI+ people at risk, as detailed in a recent letter by the US State Department to the United Nations, obtained by Washington Post on February 20th.

The letter by Bathsheba Nell Crocker, U.S. ambassador to the U.N. office in Geneva, suggests that Russia has a “Kill List” with plans for targeted killings and forced torture against dissidents in exile, religious and ethnic minorities, LGBTQI+ people and journalists.

Some news outlets have materialized the ground reality of this letter, with LGBTQI+ folks in Ukraine sharing their concerns over being targets of human rights abuses with Russia’s invasion into their home.

"Ukraine is a European country. We have a 10-year history of Pride marches, and as you know, in Russia, the situation is like opposite… We have totally different paths... We see the changes in people's thoughts about human rights, LGBTQ, feminism and so on. ... So definitely we don't want anything connected to Russia … and we won't have them," Edward Reese, project assistant for Kyiv Pride, told CBS News.

While Ukraine has a long way to go in recognizing queer and trans folks’ right to live, advocates seem to agree that the country has been moving towards some progress, and seemed hopeful for what the future could hold, according to some reports.

LGBTQI+ advocacy organization Kyiv Pride had been organizing first-aid courses and blood donations to support Ukraine’s army in its fight against the Russian military.

Russia is infamous for its human rights abuses against LGBTQI+ folks. In 2013 President Vladimir Putin signed a law banning the spread of LGBTQ+ “propaganda” to minors, after which crimes targetting folks for their percieved queerness doubled.

One anti-LGBTQ+ propaganda video from 2020 titled “Why amendments to the Constitution are important,” specifically targetted gender non-conforming and trans femme folks through its misrepresentations in a story that traces a queer couple adopting a child.