BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • BBC Trending

Russian MP: Avoid sex with foreign men during World Cup

  • Published
    14 June 2018
Share page
About sharing
A close-up of a Russian sport fan. She has her nails painted Russia colours and looks on with worry.Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

The advice is specifically targeting Russian women

Tom Gerken, BBC UGC & Social News
And Katherine Zeveleva, BBC Monitoring

A prominent Russian MP has been heavily criticised after urging women not to have sex with foreign men during the World Cup.

Communist Party MP Tamara Pletnyova told a Moscow Radio station, external that she was "not a nationalist" but believed Russian women should avoid sex with people "of a different race" because "their children suffer".

She was responding to a question about the "kids of the Olympics" - referencing the claim that there was a spike in births of mixed-race children in Russia after the 1980 Summer Olympics.

Ms Pletnyova said that these children were "abandoned" by their foreign fathers.

"It's not so bad if the fathers are of the same race," she said. "But if they are of a different race, then that's it.

"[The children] are abandoned, and they stay here with their mother. We should be giving birth to our children."

You may also like:

  • Russian teacher sacked over Instagram swimsuit photos

  • World Cup 2018: Football showpiece set to begin in Russia

  • Russians don moustaches in support of the national team

'Say No to Racism'?

Ms Pletnyova has been widely condemned online, with some people drawing parallels between her comments and Fifa's Say No to Racism campaign, external.

Recalling how a former ice skater defended a racist tweet by claiming her Twitter account had been hacked, radio presenter Tayana Felgengauer wondered if Ms Pletnyova might claim something similar had happened to her.

"I wonder what Pletnyova will say when they remind her of Say No to Racism," she tweeted.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post by Tania Felgengauer

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post by Tania Felgengauer

Further critics of Ms Pletnyova have included one who called for her, external to be "thrown out of the Duma" (Russian parliament).

One Twitter user wondered, external if the Russian MP intended to "monitor the behaviour of female Russians of reproductive age", while another pointed out, external the irony in the fact Ms Pletnyova had previously been "the head of the Committee for Nationalities".

But not all the comments have been negative.

Some people have agreed with Ms Pletnyova that "we should bear our own Russian children". And one asked, external: "What is wrong with what she said?"

While others have come forward to defend her right to free speech, with one person saying, external: "I believe that everyone can freely express their views, including MP Pletnyova."

More on this story

  • Teacher sacked over swimsuit photos

    • Published
      13 June 2018
    A close-up of the teacher modelling a swimsuit. She is looking directly at the camera in a typical model pose.
  • Russia ready for 2018 World Cup start

    • Attribution
      Sport
    • Published
      14 June 2018
    Russian fans in Moscow
  • Why Russians are donning moustaches

    • Published
      6 June 2018
    Alexander Kuzmin's photo of shaved his off beard, leaving a moustache.

Top stories

  • Asylum seekers to stay at Epping hotel after government wins appeal

    • Published
      2 hours ago
  • Asylum hotel ruling won't feel like much of a victory at Home Office

    • Published
      8 hours ago
  • US court rules many of Trump's global tariffs are illegal

    • Published
      10 minutes ago

More to explore

  • Harry set for UK visit but will he see his father?

    A split image showing the faces of Prince Harry and King Charles. Both wear blue blazers and light shirts.
  • 'Inn-justice' for Epping and 'Rayner faces sleaze inquiry'

    The front pages of the Sun and the Daily Telegraph.
  • How coffee chains like Costa lost the matcha generation

    Two young women one with long brown hair and a grey hoodie and one with blonde hair in a slick back bun and a black leather bomber both holding green iced matcha drinks with straws on a street outside a Blank Street Coffee shop in London
  • Manhunt in Australian bush brings long-dismissed conspiracy theorists to the fore

    A man stands on a bus stop holding a sign saying "freedom" in bold capital letters. A line of police officers backs can be seen at the bottom of the picture, all in high vis tops. The street they are on is lined with trees which have lost their leaves
  • What Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's wedding could look like

    A screenshot taken from Instagram showing Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift hug each other
  • Asylum hotel ruling won't feel like much of a victory at Home Office

    Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, a middle aged woman with short grey hair, stares intently at the camera. She is wearing a pink jacket
  • Why has Kamala Harris' security detail been withdrawn?

    Kamala Harris at a podium with three Secret Service agents in the background during a trip to Zambia in 2023.
  • How a leaked phone call derailed the Thai PM's career - and the Shinawatra dynasty

    Thailand's suspended prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra arrives for a press conference in Bangkok on July 1, 2025. She can be seen smiling as she walks through a doorway in a dark green blazer which she is wearing over a white shirt and white and blue floral skirt.
  • Football Manager 25 would have damaged us forever, says maker

    A rendered promo image for Football Manager. A female manager stands on the sidelines of a football pitch. She's wearing white shoes, and a black suit with her hands in her pockets. It's evening time as the sun appears to be setting. The pitch is lit up, with players wearing red kits and white kits. A male referee stands further away with a flag in hand.
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    US court rules many of Trump's global tariffs are illegal

  2. 2

    Harry set for UK visit but will he see his father?

  3. 3

    BBC Proms performance interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters

  4. 4

    How coffee chains like Costa lost the matcha generation

  5. 5

    US blocks Palestinian leader from attending UN meeting in New York

  6. 6

    'Our baby was robbed of dignity after she died'

  7. 7

    Asylum seekers to stay at Epping hotel after government wins appeal

  8. 8

    Asylum hotel ruling won't feel like much of a victory at Home Office

  9. 9

    Zelensky rejects proposals for buffer zone to end Ukraine war

  10. 10

    Tories call for investigation into Rayner's tax affairs

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • Rolf Larsen investigates the case of a missing child

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    DNA
  • Comedian Bob Mortimer chooses his desert island tracks

    • Attribution
      Sounds
    Desert Island Discs: Bob Mortimer
  • Freddie Mercury: from iconic shots to private snaps

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    A Life in Ten Pictures: Freddie Mercury
  • When an Olympic badminton match caused controversy

    • Attribution
      Sounds
    Sporting Witness: Shuttlecock scandal
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.