Police in Russia seized 17 paintings from a school, Russian state media reported.

The pictures were made to celebrate a UN "International Day of Tolerance" — and one showed two men together and two women together.

Other confiscated pictures showed rainbows, commonly used as an LGBT symbol.

The Yekaterinburg Ministry of Internal Affairs said they were seized "for inspection," the report says.

Russia has harsh laws which prohibit the promotion of "non-traditional" sexualities to children.

Police in Russia reportedly confiscated 17 pictures painted by schoolkids for a UN "International Day of Tolerance," one of which showed people of the same sex together.

Police went to School 155 in the city of Yekaterinburg and seized 17 drawings to investigate, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs said on Thursday, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported.

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The paintings in question were made by five to 11 year olds, the report said.

Russian news website URA reported that one of the paintings which was shown in a newspaper was called: "We are not given to choose appearance, orientation, or race. We are all unique in our own way."

The child had painted the figures of two girls together, two men together, and a man with a girl in the top corner, the report said.

A representative of the city's department of education said the poster competition called "Tolerant World" was held at the school from 12 to 17 November 2018, RIA reported.

"There were no drawings promoting non-traditional values ​​at the exhibition,"they reported the representative as saying.

The statement is likely a reference to harsh anti-LGBT laws in Russia which make it illegal to promote "non-traditional values" to children.

The school representative continued: "The figures reflect universal human values: friendship, respect, mutual understanding and acceptance of the values ​​and attitudes of other people."

"Some works depict a rainbow — a symbol of purity, childhood, friendship, personifying the unity of peoples of different nationalities."