David Isteev

David Isteev is a Russian LGBT rights defender and human rights activist.

Early life and education

Isteev came to human rights and activist work through earlier work in journalism.

Career Russian LGBT Network In 2017, Isteev began working with the Russian LGBT Network to help setup a program for transgender Russians. , and operated a secret Moscow shelter and hotline for at-risk LGBT people fleeing from Chechnya. By 2019, the program had evacuated approximately 150 people from Chechnya. It later won a 2021 Peabody award for filmmaking.

North Caucasus SOS Crisis Group

In October 2021, North Caucasus SOS was founded in October 2021 by members of the Russian LGBT Network. David Isteev became the director of NC SOS.

NC SOS focuses on evacuation of persecuted LGBT people fleeing Chechnya by providing safe housing, legal, financial, medical, and psychological assistance.

In 2022, Isteev reported on seven gay men that were detained in Chechnya and forcibly sent to fight in Ukraine, with at least one deceased.

In October 2024, isteev spoke at Columbia University Harriman Institute symposium on "The Crime of Being Gay: The Stories of LGBTQ+ People Persecuted in the Russian North Caucasus".

As of 2025, NC SOS and its predecessor have reported assisting 925 people.

In 2025, Isteev reported that 20% of the NC SOS team was still operating in Russia, with enormous risks.

Legal Issues Isteev had regularly received threats since working as an LGBT activist in Russia. In May 2019, several men raided the home of a volunteer in Saint Petersburg, interrogating them about information about Isteev, and issuing threats against him. Four claimed to be police from Grozny but did not provide identification. The group said that the designation would complicate their work aiding victims of persecution in Chechnya.

Personal life As of 2025, Isteev works in exile from Russia.