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A group of Russian activists is suing Madonna for millions of pounds after claiming they were offended by her support for gay rights during a recent concert.
A law passed in February makes it illegal to promote homosexuality to minors in St Petersburg, and the author of that law has pointed to the presence of children as young as 12 at Madonna's concert in the city on August 9.
Alexander Pochuyev, the lawyer representing the nine activists, claimed that the suit has been filed against Madonna, the organizer of her concert, and the hall where it was held.
The suit asks for damages totalling 333m Rubles, nearly £6.7m, according to Russian news agencies.
Mr Pochuyev has defended his clients in pursuing the lawsuit against the Like A Virgin singer, after they received criticism for being "stuck in the Middle Ages".
He told Russian news agency RIA Novosti: "No one is burning anyone at the stake or carrying out an Inquisition.
"Modern civilisation requires tolerance and respect for different values."
The complaint allegedly includes a video taken at the concert showing Madonna stomping on an Orthodox cross and asking fans to raise their hands to show pink armbands in support of gays and lesbians that were distributed among the audience.
The 53-year-old performer has been at the forefront of controversy in Russia recently with her outspoken stance against the imprisonment of punk girl band Pussy Riot.
Three of its members - Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich - were sentenced on Friday to two years in prison for their protest inside Moscow's main cathedral against Vladimir Putin and his close relationship with the Russian Orthodox Church.
Following the verdict Madonna called on "all those who love freedom to condemn this unjust punishment".
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