Members of a far-right channel on the Telegram messaging app published Lapina’s phone number last month, and – following a series of recent attacks on the LGBTQ+ community – she is on edge.
Some people have tracked down her address, too. “They photographed my balcony, the entrance to my building, and they’ve been sending it all to me,” she said. “It’s difficult to sleep, knowing that people have declared (they are hunting) you.” Ukraine legalised gay sex in 1991, but conservative elements in the mainly Orthodox Christian nation often speak out against rights for LGBTQ+ people, and members of the far-right regularly target groups and events linked to the community.