A young transgender Russian woman has committed suicide after being sacked by Putin’s anti-gay laws.

Dasha Shtern, a 22-year-old, killed herself after she had lost her job and was made homeless by her own parents.

Before last week, Shtern was working for the Yekaterinburg government in Sverdlovsk, central Russia, and was living with friends.

She had just been given a mortgage so she could buy her own apartment, had bought a car and was ready to go travelling.

But when Shtern’s bosses feared continuing to employ her would break ‘gay propaganda laws’, she lost everything.

Fired, she could not afford the payments on her car or mortgage.

She killed herself on Wednesday (16 October).

Top lawyer and trans rights activist Masha Bast told Gay Star News the sudden passing of Shtern was ‘shocking’ to her friends.

‘Vladimir Putin has created a system where there is no place for trans people, no place for people who are different,’ she said.

‘Dasha is a victim of Putin’s laws, and she is a victim of the indifference in Russian society.’

Trans activists held a peaceful protest at the Red Square in Moscow to raise awareness about Shtern’s suicide on Saturday (19 October).

During the protest, the group lit candles, laid roses and held signs.

They said: ‘Killed By Indifference, Killed By Russia. Stop Killing Transgender People!’