A young gay Russian man has been brutally murdered by two friends in the Russian city of Volgograd after he reportedly came out to them while they were drinking together.

The unnamed 23-year-old was found dead in the courtyard of an apartment building in the city on Friday morning after Russians had been celebrating Victory Day which commemorates the capitulation of German forces in World War II.

Vladimir Putin has reiterated plans to ban foreign gay couples from adopting Russian children.

On Friday (26 April), the Russian president again signalled that he would change adoption agreements with countries where gay marriage was legal.

Putin said: ‘We treat our partners with respect, but we ask that they treat with respect the cultural traditions, the ethic, legal and moral norms of Russia.'

His statement came as a response to a Russian politician who suggested changes to adoption agreements with France, since the country legalized gay marriage.

Renowned Russian LGBT rights advocate, Aleksei Kiselyov, has reportedly been granted political asylum in Spain.

Moscow based fellow gay rights advocate, Nikolai Alekseyev, reported today (26 April) that Spain granted Kiselyov asylum and a five-year permanent resident permit.

Kiselyov participated in a protest against the reelection of President Vladimir Putin on Moscow's Bolotnaya Square in May 2012 that was violently dispersed by police.

The head of Russian Railways, Valdimir Yakunin, said that the civil rights of LGBT people should be limited to ‘public morals’ and ‘common sense’.

He further said that the extent of ‘civil rights’ for gay people should limited so that they are not beaten with sticks to death, reported the portal GayRussia.

Otherwise, the company director called for ban the freedom of expression and family rights for gays and lesbians.

President Vladimir Putin has said Russia does not discriminate against homosexuals.

The Russian president was speaking at a press conference in Amsterdam, where gay rights activists, topless feminists and other protestors critical of the lack of human rights laws in the country had greeted him.

He said: ‘In the Russian Federation – so that it is clear to everybody – there is no infringement on the rights of sexual minorities.

‘These people…enjoy all the same rights and freedoms as everyone else.’

British actor and celebrity Stephen Fry interview with Vitaly Milonov, the author of St. Petersburg's 'gay propaganda' law.

Fry, who is openly gay and was shooting a documentary in St. Petersburg about LGBT rights, tweeted that he found little in common with Milonov.

Fry tweeted earlier: 'Milonov doesn't seem to believe there are teenagers bullied and tormented for being gay, he thinks they make it up & indoctrinate to minors'.

Police have arrested at least 20 campaigners as Russia’s State Duma voted for a new law banning ‘homosexual propaganda’.

The proposed national law is similar to legislation already existing in nine Russian regions. Just yesterday Kaliningrad became the 10th region to introduce the ban, their bill just needs to be signed by the governor to become law.

The Russian State Duma has postponed a nationwide ban on ‘gay propaganda’ indefinitely by returning the bill to the preparatory stage.

The legislation was originally due to be debated on 19 December last year but that was put off to today (22 January).

Since then, Russia has come under international pressure to drop the proposals.

The European Parliament has told Russia and Ukraine to ditch plans to fine and jail people who talk positively about gay issues.

The LGBT ‘gay laws’ already exist in nine regions of Russia but now the Duma parliament is planning countrywide legislation. Similar proposals are also being debated in Ukraine.

The laws are used to ban gay prides, silence gay organizations stop young people being given positive messages about being LGBT, and to crack down on dissidents.

Russian gay activists joined thousands of people to protest President Vladimir Putin yesterday (15 September).

Despite Kremlin efforts to muzzle the voices of the opposition, the major protest in Moscow showed the activists’ resilience.

Gay activists met with other liberals on the capital’s boulevards, chanting ‘Russia without Putin’, and ‘We are the power here!’

The protestors remained peaceful as about 7000 police officers stood guard along the route of the march, while a police helicopter hovered overhead.

Dmitry Medvedev the Russian Prime Minister has called for three members of the punk band Pussy Riot to be freed.

And he has indicated their release could be imminent since their case comes up for appeal on 1 October.

The band members were arrested for performing a raucous prayer inside Moscow's main cathedral asking the Virgin Mary to save Russia from Vladimir Putin as he headed into the election that handed him a third term as president.

Russian writer and LGBT rights advocate Masha Gessen was fired from a prestigious magazine role for not covering a expedition attended by President Putin, she said on Twitter this week.

Since February, Gessen was editor-in-chief of Russia’s oldest magazine, travel monthly Vokrug Sveta (Around the World) until her contract was terminated this week.