Putin links gay people to paedophiles ahead of Games

Russian president Vladimir Putin has offered new assurances to gay athletes and fans attending the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics next month.

Yet he defended Russia’s anti-gay law by equating gay people with paedophiles and said Russia needs to “cleanse” itself of homosexuality if it wants to increase its birth rate.

Putin’s comments in an interview broadcast with Russian and foreign television stations showed the wide gulf between the perception of homosexuality in Russia versus the West.