The Federation Council struck down a bill on Tuesday that sought to ban cruelty against animals used in the training of hunting dogs and birds.

A Russian senator has warned of the slippery slope that legislators risked taking by passing a law against animal cruelty.

“We treat many western fads with humor, including political correctness, the rights of sexual minorities and others,” Senator Sergei Kalashnikov told fellow lawmakers ahead of the vote.

Drawing a smattering of applause, Communist Party member Kalashnikov warned: “Any thought, however humanitarian, becomes absurd when carried to its logical conclusion.”

“We’re not only passing a law that won’t work for many reasons, but we’re also demonstrating that we’re following the same path, so to speak, of defending the rights of sexual minorities."

Stepan Zhiryakov, the vice-chairman of the Agrarian Committee, retorted that dogs “should not be equated to sexual minorities.”

The bill has been sent back to the State Duma after failing to pass in the Federation Council.