Russian state TV claims the West will 'run out of people' as LGBT population grows

Russian state TV has claimed the West is on course to "run out of people" as the LGBT population grows

Olga Skabeyeva – who fronts the 60 minutes programme on the state-controlled TV channel Russia One – made the claim as Kremlin lawmakers proposed extending a ban on discussing same-sex relationships.

Skabeyeva, 37, dubbed Vladimir Putin's "Iron Doll", is a key mouthpiece of the Kremlin, fronting her own programme on the state's main news channel.

Russian state TV is closely controlled by the Russian government and is often used as a means to circulate Moscow-backed propaganda.

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In a discussion about the LGBT community, reported by BBC reporter Francis Scarr, Skabeyava said: "In principle the the American and Western nations are getting closer to disappearing.

"At some point these people will simply stop reproducing and as a consequence those people will run out.

"Natural selection, only the best will be left."

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This week, Russian lawmakers proposed extending a ban on the promotion of "non-traditional" sexual relationships to minors to include adults as well.

Russia's existing "gay propaganda" law, passed in 2013, has been used to stop gay pride marches and detain gay rights activists in the nation.

Authorities say they are defending morality in the face of "un-Russian liberal values" promoted by the West, but human rights activists say the law has been broadly applied to intimidate Russia's LGBT community.

Under the proposed changes, any event or act regarded as an attempt to promote homosexuality could incur a fine.

Homosexuality was a criminal offence in Russia until 1993 and classed as a mental illness until 1999.

Putin has aligned himself closely with the Orthodox Church - which rejects same-sex relationships - and has made its social conservatism part of a narrative of Russian political and cultural revival that is now also being used to help justify the invasion of Ukraine.

In a ranking of Europe's most LGBT-friendly nations in this year's "Rainbow Europe" index compiled by ILGA-Europe, Russia came third to last.