Irina Fedotova-Fet and Irina Shipitko had hoped to become Russia's first legally married same-sex couple but the Moscow court decision has blocked their request for marriage equality.

CBC reports:
(Moscow, Russia) Earlier in the day, the Tverskoi District Court ruled against Irina Fedotova-Fet and Irina Shipitko when it upheld the decision of the city's civil registry that Russian law stipulates marriage is between a man and a woman. "We understand quite well that it is a long road that must be taken before such unions will be recognized," said Nikolai Alexeyev, a longtime Russian gay rights activist who is the women's lawyer. "But I have no doubt this recognition will come."

Russia's first gay marriage shot down by courts; couple plan to marry in Canada

Canoe.ca reports:
(Moscow, Russia) Nikolai Alexeyev, a longtime Russian gay rights activist who is serving as the women's lawyer, told reporters that they plan to fight the ruling. "We understand quite well that it is a long road that must be taken before such unions will be recognized. But I have no doubt this recognition will come," he said. The two women said they planned to fly to Canada later this month to marry and then return to Russia, in a bid to force authorities to recognize the marriage. Homosexuality was decriminalized in Russia in the 1990s, but many Russians are vehemently opposed to expansion of gay rights or gay-rights demonstrations.