Shocking: Russian politician orders his aides to rape 6-month pregnant journalist

New Delhi: A senior Russian politician has apparently been filmed ordering his aides to violently rape a pregnant journalist during a press conference inside the state Duma.In an incident described as a disgrace to the Russian parliament, the pro-Kremlin leader of the populist nationalist Liberal Democratic party embarked on an abusive misogynist and homophobic rant after being asked a seemingly innocuous question regarding the crisis in Ukraine.Vladimir Zhironovsky now faces sanctions from the Duma's ethics commission, including a possible three-month ban from public speaking, as well as legal action from the reporter's employer, Russia Today.As TV cameras and other journalists watched, Zhironovsky was asked by Stella Dubovitskaya if he felt there should be a diplomatic response to Ukraine banning the entry of Russian men.The 67-year-old politician responded by saying that politicians in Ukraine were “nymphomaniacs” – using the outdated derogatory phrase “uterine frenzy”.He then suggested that the reporter was likely to also be a “nymphomaniac” – and when told to stop being aggressive towards a six-month pregnant woman said: “This is no place for you if you're pregnant… We need healthy people. Pregnant women should not show up at work. Sit at home and look after your child, got that?”Apparently thinking he was proving his point, Zhironovsky then shoved two male aides towards Dubovitskaya and said: “When I say, you run to her and violently rape her.”When one of the men started to touch Dubovitskaya, other journalists tried to intervene. Yulia Chuchalova, reporting for the news agency Interfax, told the politician his actions were “derogatory” and “humiliating”, to which he responded: “What are you doing intervening here, you lesbian? Get out of here.”Zhironovsky, who is well-known in Russia for his exaggerated public outbursts, last night issued an apology to Dubovitskaya in a live TV interview. He said he had spoken “a bit rudely” and said he was sorry if he “happened to offend someone”.