A gay man in Russia was kidnapped at gunpoint and nearly died in a horrific homophobic attack, it was reported today (29 May).

A Chelyabinsk court heard how five college students, aged between 18 and 22, lured their 25-year-old victim on a gay dating site in an attempt to rob and extort money from him.

The students told the gay man they didn’t want his money, but to ‘cleanse the society of gays’, according to the victim’s testimony.

At gunpoint, they went in the victim’s car to a nearby lake.

Threatening to kill him, they demanded money. The victim gave them the 10,000 rubles ($290, €210) he had on him, but they wanted more.

Emilia Sinenko, the prosecutor, told the court: ‘The students bullied the captive with cruelty, forcing him to strip naked and shot the ground next to him.

‘The young man who suffers from a chronic disease, had a heart attack caused by the stress.

‘In this condition, he was taken to the bank to get a loan of 50,000 rubles ($1440, €1060).

At the bank, the victim secretly passed along a SOS message to the manager.

‘Help me, I am a hostage,’ it said.

But the bank manager ignored the message, and the victim was told to come back later.

At the second bank, when the victim was able to pass along the same message, the police were immediately called and arrested the five men. The victim was immediately taken to hospital.

The five students are being charged with kidnapping, robbery, extortion and unlawful possession of a car.

The trial continues.