A popular nudist beach that has been used by naturists for three decades is likely to be shut, as local authorities have called them 'depraved' and 'out of their minds'.
The beach, located in Moscow's Serebryany Bor natural park, has been frequented by nudists since the 1980s, and its impending closure is reportedly part of a growing trend of banning things that oppose 'Russian culture', The Moscow Times reported.
In May this year, the Dyuny nudist beach located near St. Petersburg met a similar fate after more than 50 years of hosting naturists.
"These people are depraved. We can't encourage vice. They're completely out of their minds," Moscow City Duma deputy Lyudmila Stebenkova told the newspaper.
"Naked people have occupied the Strogino water meadow. ... Their shindigs often end in fights, drinking or sex in public. But the police can't put a stop to this orgy because there are no laws regulating nudism," she said.
A Russian naturist group said the location of the beach could be a problem.
"There are a lot of people walking along the shore — old ladies, families with kids — and of course they're not pleased to see naked people," Sergei Mityushin, head of the Telord Naturist Federation' Moscow branch told the paper.
The Moscow nudist community has said that they have not been given any options to relocate, and they may just be left high and dry as local authorities have reportedly been contemplating a ban on nudist beaches.
"In my opinion, it [nudism] should be banned for good," Stebenkova told The Moscow Times.
After nudity was outlawed at the Dyuny beach earlier this year, a conservative lawmaker had made a pointed remark at the nudists.
"We should protect our children from some old naked hairy pervert passing by," Vitaly Milonov had reportedly said on radio.
Some authorities have, however, called for a more 'civilized manner' to address the issue through discussions.
"If the results of the discussion are positive , we will start looking for appropriate places for the naturists," Oleg Soroka, deputy head of the Moscow City Duma's commission for town planning, reportedly said.
