Putin speaks about Navalny and LGBT community

According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, there is a long trace of various problems and violations behind blogger Alexei Navalny, Putin said in an interview with the Associated Press.

"He had problems with an alcohol-making factory, then there are problems with a timber company, then it appears he owns firms abroad, which he did not declare. This is an obvious fact," said Putin.

The president noted that it was now fashionable to talk about the fight against corruption, adding that "if a person speaks about corruption, then he or she must be, above all, stainlessly clean."

When asked about the verdict on the case of timber company Kirovles, the president said that he was aware of it, although he was not familiar with details of the case. "I only know that on this case, there is a judgment of conviction," said the president.

Putin also shared his opinions about the acting mayor of Moscow, Sergei Sobyanin. In his opinion, this is an experienced and calm person, who knows how to work systematically and achieve results. "I like such people: he speaks less and does more," said Putin.

During the interview, Vladimir Putin expressed his readiness to meet with representatives of the LGBT community to discuss their proposed problems. So far, there was no such initiative from them, he said.

The head of the Russian Federation noted that Russia does not infringe the rights of sexual minorities, and the opportunities of their representatives are the same as everyone else's when it comes to professional activities, wages and recognition of their services to the state, including orders and medals.

As an example, Putin referred to the famous Russian composer Tchaikovsky. "They say that Pyotr Tchaikovsky was a homosexual, but we love him because he was a great musician, and we all love his music," said the president.