A few months ago, So So Gay reported on an experiment by the BBC to see what happens when two men go for a walk while holding hands in Luton. Now, two men have gone one further – risking assault or arrest – in Moscow, and have videoed the reaction they get when they walk the streets hand in hand.

Although many people ignore them, they are frequently stared at, and both verbally and physically abused, with one person telling them to ‘leave Russia’. Another threatens the couple, who filmed themselves for their YouTube page, and the ChebuRussiaTV page on social network VK.

‘I’m a little scared of his reaction, he hit hard,’ says one, after a passerby intentionally bashes into them. ‘Hey gays, there are too many of you nowadays,’ yells another man as they walk past. ‘What is happening in Russia? Leave Russia,’ shouts a third.

Although homosexuality was decriminalised in Russia in 1993, homophobia is rife, and the Russian Parliament passed laws in 2013 banning the ‘promotion of homosexuality’ to children.