President Vladimir Putin during a live television interview in Sochi, Russia.
President Vladimir Putin during a live television interview in Sochi, Russia.

As the countdown to the Sochi Winter Olympic Games begins, Russia's President Vladimir Putin has sparked outrage with his latest homophobic remarks.

British Actor Hugh Laurie expressed his disapproval against Putin's anti-gay comments on Twitter.

Laurie wrote: "I d boycott Russian goods if I could think of a single thing they made besides the rest of the world depressed."

He then added: "Russian vodka is OK if you need to clean the oven. For drinking, it must henceforth be Polish."

The Russian president's is a specialist in the making of homophobic slurs:

In an interview with Associated Press and Russia's state Channel 1 television, Putin said of gay people:

"I assure you that I work with these people. I sometimes award them with state prizes or decorations for their achievements in various fields."

He then added about the Russian composer Tchaikovsky:

"They say that Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky was a homosexual. Truth be told, we don't love him because of that, but he was a great musician, and we all love his music. So what?"

During a meeting with young volunteers preparing for the Winter Olympics, Putin defended the ban on gay propaganda law passed in June:

"There is no ban on non-traditional forms of sexual interaction between people. We have a ban on propaganda of homosexuality."

In an interview with foreign journalists, he said of pop icon Elton John:

"Millions of our people sincerely love him despite his orientation."

After he reassured gay visitors to the Sochi Games that they are welcome in Russia, Putin added:

"You can feel calm, relaxed. But leave children alone please."

Russia