(CNN) Fast food company Burger King Russia has been forced to apologize after an advertisement offered Russian women the chance to win $47,000 and free Whoppers for life if they got impregnated by a World Cup player. The short-lived campaign was promoted in Russia on Tuesday via social media platform VK -- Russia's equivalent of Facebook -- before being pulled down after a flurry of angry responses from the public. Burger King Russia then released an apology on VK, saying they had removed all materials related to the campaign as it was 'insulting." Neither Burger Rus nor Burger King were immediately available for comment when contacted by CNN. Earlier this month, a senior Russian lawmaker called on her countrywomen not to have sex with foreign men visiting Russia during the World Cup, saying Russian women "should give birth to our own." In a radio interview with radio station Govorit Moskva, Tamara Pletnyova, the chairperson of the Duma committee on families, women and children, said she was concerned about a rise in single mothers. Russian citizens, she said, should marry each other and "build a good family, live together, give birth to children and educate them." Pletnyova was responding to a question about a spike in births from foreign fathers following the 1980 Moscow Olympics. "These children then suffer and have suffered even from Soviet times," she said. "You know this perfectly well. It's fine if they're one race, but not if they're from a different race. I'm not a nationalist, but still. I know the children suffer, then they get abandoned and that's it, they stay with their mom here." The World Cup final is on July 15.<doc-sep>Burger King has apologised for offering a lifetime supply of Whoppers to Russian women impregnated by World Cup players. The burger chain launched the promotion on VK – a Russian alternative to Facebook – promising three million roubles (£36,000) as well as the free food to “girls who manage to get the best football genes” and “lay down the success of the Russian national football team”. “We believe in you!” the advert exclaimed. Critics condemned the promotion, which was pulled from Burger King’s social media accounts on Tuesday, as sexist and demeaning. The fast food company posted a Russian-language statement on local network VKontakte, saying "we offer apologies for the announcement we made. It was too offensive." Adverts in Russia often play on sexist stereotypes, and are particularly common around sports events such as the World Cup. ✕ Burger King giving 'lifetime supply' of burgers to people who have Grill as their last name Burger King’s Russia division has past form for tasteless advertising campaigns. Last year, the company used the likeness of a teenage rape victim, Diana Shurygina, to promote a buy one get one free burger offer. In a statement to the Associated Press, Burger King said: "We are sorry about the clearly offensive promotion that the team in Russia launched online." Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia Show all 28 1 /28 Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A boy hangs from a goalpost in St. Petersburg Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia Self-made goalposts stand on a soccer pitch in Verkhnyaya Biryusa village, located in the Taiga area near the Russian Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A boy rides a bicycle near a goalpost in Yevpatoria, Crimea Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia Hay fills a goalpost during the traditional Cossack games outside the village of Arkhonskaya in the Republic of North Ossetia, Alania Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A car is seen through a goalpost while driving along a road in the Siberian village of Tyulkovo Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia Children play at a goalpost during the traditional Cossack games outside the village of Arkhonskaya in the Republic of North Ossetia, Alania Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A goalpost stands in the village of Pribrezhnoye, Crimea Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia People and dogs walk near a goalpost on the Ostrov Otdykha (the Island of Rest), located in the middle of the Yenisei River Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A boy rides a gyro-scooter near a goalpost on a football pitch in the Siberian town of Divnogorsk Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia Cossacks sit on a bench next to a goalpost covered with a screen during the traditional Cossack games outside the village of Arkhonskaya in the Republic of North Ossetia Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A goalpost stands in front of an Orthodox church in the Siberian village of Tyulkovo Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia Goalposts lay on the ground as people gather at a flooded beach on the bank of the Volga River in Samara Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A goalpost stands in Yevpatoria Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A man sits on a goalpost in the settlement of Novo-Schedrinskaya, Chechnya Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A participant is seen through a goalpost during an amateur football tournament at the Zenit Arena, a stadium made from straw, in Stravropol Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A goalpost in a yard of a Stalin-era high-rise building in Moscow Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia Goats walk near a goalpost in the village of Pervomayskoye, Crimea Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A goalpost stands at a tourist centre on the bank of the Belyo Lake in the Republic of Khakassia, Siberia Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A goalpost stands in the town of Dolgoprudny in the Moscow region Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A man runs near goalposts on a football pitch in a settlement in Stavropol region Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A dog stands near a goalpost in Ryazantsevo settlement in Yaroslavl region Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia Children play with a puppy near a goalpost on a football pitch in the Siberian settlement of Novosyolovo Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A goalpost stands in the village of Lesnovka, Saksky district, Crimea Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A goalpost stands in the village of Zhuravli, Crimea Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A man rides a horse near a goalpost in the village of Bolshaya Dzhalga in Stavropol region Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A goalpost stands in Sevastopol, Crimea Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A cadet holds a model of a sword in front of a goalpost as he trains at the stadium of the General Yermolov Cadet School in Stavropol Reuters Away from the World Cup: the secret lives of goalposts in Russia A goalpost stands in the village of Glinka, Saksky region, Crimea Reuters It said the offer "does not reflect our brand or our values and we are taking steps to ensure this type of activity does not happen again."<doc-sep>Burger King has apologized for a poor-taste ad campaign posted on its official Russian social media account. On Tuesday the burger chain announced a promotion on VK, the Russian equivalent of Facebook, offering women 3 million Russian roubles ($47,000) and a lifetime supply of Whoppers if they get impregnated by football players competing in the World Cup. Shortly after announcing the campaign they pulled it due to backlash. Burger King posted a statement on VK apologizing and said it had removed all materials related to the promotion. However, evidence of the stunt lives on in screenshots. Screenshot captured by Deadspin Photograph: VK Burger King’s Russia division has a history of horrific publicity-baiting stunts. Last year it made fun of a teenage rape victim in an online marketing campaign. The fast-food company used the likeness of Diana Shurygina, who was raped when she was 16 at a house party, as part of a buy one get one free burger offer. And it’s not just Russia; Burger King has a global track record of misogynistic marketing. In Singapore the company advertised a seven-inch burger with overtly sexual imagery and a tagline saying “It’ll blow your mind away.” The model featured in the 2009 advertising campaign later came forward to say she had no idea her image was going to be used in that way.<doc-sep>
Burger King has apologized for an online ad offering burgers to Russian women who get impregnated by soccer players during the World Cup the country is hosting until July 15. The promotion on the global fast food chain's account on VK -- a local rival of Facebook -- suggested Russia could benefit from some good "football genes." "As part of its social responsibility (campaign), Burger King is offering a reward to women who get impregnated by football stars," said Burger King. "Every woman will get three million rubles (around $45,000) and a lifetime's supply of Whopper burgers. Women who manage to get the best football genes will ensure Russia's success in future generations." The post ended with a call: "Go ahead! We believe in you!" Burger King removed the ad and tried to make amends after a furor erupted on social media and in international media. "We apologise for our statement. It turned out to be too offensive," Burger King said. The ad appeared to be ineptly trying to poke fun at an inflammatory statement by a lawmakers who urged women not to have sex with foreign fans. A Communist Party parliamentarian, Tamara Pletneva, told a radio station that the World Cup could leave Russian women raising children "of another race". Pletneva said the 1980 Moscow Olympics had led to some local women having then-rare relationships with foreigners and falling pregnant. "It's the children who suffer... and have suffered since the Soviet era. It's lucky if they're the same race (as the mother) but if they're of another race, it's worse." The Kremlin quickly distanced itself from Pletneva's remarks. "Russian women can probably manage their own affairs. They are the best women in the world," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "They are the best women in the world." Her remarks also drew a slightly tongue-in-cheek response from a male fellow Russian lawmaker, who urged women in the country to go forth and multiply with foreign visitors -- be they players or fans. "The more love stories we have connected to the world championship, the more people from different countries fall in love, the more children are born, the better," Russian state news agency Tass quoted parliamentarian Mikhail Degtyaryov as saying last week. Russia was sealed off from much of the world during the Soviet era and remains a deeply conservative society to this day. Its complexion has changed markedly with the influx of hundreds of thousands of fans of the 32 nations taking part in the month-long World Cup. Burger King's big rival McDonald's is one of the World Cup's sponsors but companies of all stripes are trying to cash in on the most watched event in the world.