Russia bans five online LGBT youth groups under anti-gay law

Vladimir Putin created the "gay propaganda" law in 2013

Five online LGBT youth groups have been added to a banned list by the Russian watchdog.

The watchdog, Roskomnadzor, banned the groups, all registered on the country’s most popular social network VKontakte.

The district court in the city of Barnaul imposed the ban.

It did so, accusing the groups of containing “propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations among minors.”

Those included in the ruling were prominent Children-404, which is organised by journalist Yelena Klimova.

The group provides counselling to LGBT young people.

The controversial law under which this ruling was made, which caused an international outcry, was signed into law by President Vladimir Putin in 2013.