Milan severs twin city ties with St Petersburg over 'homosexual propaganda' ban The Milanese said they hoped their move would be copied by Venice, which has been twinned with the Russian city since 2006, and Turin, which signed a bilateral cooperation agreement with St Petersburg in early November. A spokesman for St Petersburg's foreign relations committee told Russian media that it was trying to clarify the legal status of the Milan council's decision. Vitaly Milonov, the local MP who initiated the law, told the RIA Novosti news agency: "There must be a lot of socialists in Milan city council. It's a great shame that a city like Milan would take a decision like this. He added: "Of course, it's hard for many of our European colleagues to accept our law, as many of them are members of the gay lobby." Discrimination against gays is widespread in Russia. Moscow authorities have refused to allow gay parades, which former city mayor Yury Luzhkov once described as satanic. British gay-rights campaigner Peter Tatchell was punched in the face by homophobic activists in the Russian capital in 2007, and more than 10 people were injured last month when thugs attacked a gay bar.