Sergei Aksyonov tells Russian media that police and self-defence forces will be called if the LGBT community tries to organise gatherings. RFE/RL reports

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

Crimea’s most senior official has said sexual minorities “have no chance” on the peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in March.

Speaking about gay people during a Crimean government session on Tuesday, the region’s de facto leader Sergei Aksyonov said “we in Crimea do not need such people.”

In comments reported by the Russian news agencies Interfax and Itar-Tass, Aksyonov said that if the LGBT community tried to hold public gatherings, “our police and self-defence forces will react immediately and in three minutes will explain to them what kind of sexual orientation they should stick to.”

He added that Crimean children should be brought up with a “positive attitude to family and traditional values.”

Russia annexed Crimea after a referendum that was deemed to be illegal by the United States and European Union.

President Vladimir Putin signed an anti-gay law last year that banned activities that could be seen as promoting homosexuality to minors, which was adopted in Crimea this year. Western governments and activists said curtails gay rights and encourages discrimination. A gay pride event that had been due to take place in Sevastopol in April was cancelled.