Not content with making the country one of the most homophobic places on the planet, Russian authorities are now taking aim at “gay emojis”.

According to Izvestia newspaper, the country’s media regulator could ban the characters from social media if an investigation finds they contravene laws intended to prevent gay “propaganda”.

The investigation was started following a complaint made by Russian senator Mikhail Marchenko of the far-right Liberal Democratic Party.

Same-sex emoji Photograph: Google Images

He claims that emojis depicting same-sex couples violate a controversial 2013 law that prohibits the “promotion” of non-heterosexual relationships.

It is not clear how Russia might enact such a ban given the widespread use of emojis across a variety of social media platforms.

The media watchdog, Roskomnadzor, has asked the youth group of president Vladimir Putin’s political party, the Young Guard, to investigate. A spokesman for the Young Guard said it had not yet received a request but was ready to take action.

It is also unclear why the senator has decided to complain about the issue now. Apple introduced same-sex emojis with the release of its iOS 6 operating system almost three years ago. Characters featuring a wider range of same-sex couples and families with same-sex parents was released by Apple in April this year.

Russia has been attempting to crack down on the internet in recent months. Last year it ordered bloggers to register with the government in a bid to weed out anonymous postings.