A Russian politician has accused Apple of spreading 'gay propaganda' by releasing a U2 album as a free gift

A right-wing Russian politician has accused Apple of spreading "gay propaganda" when it released an album by U2 for free in September.

The Guardian reports that Russian Duma deputy Alexander Starovoitov has asked the country's attorney general to investigate Apple because of the album's cover art.

U2's album cover for "Songs of Innocence" showed U2 drummer Larry Mullen, Jr. embracing his son. Starovoitov says that the image promoted gay sex when Apple released the album for free on iTunes.

But Apple didn't actually include that album cover when it released "Songs of Innocence" on iTunes. Instead, it went for a plain white image showing a test pressing of the record.

The Guardian says that if Apple is found guilty of spreading "gay propaganda" (which is a crime in Russia), it could have to suspend operations in the country for 90 days or pay a 1 million rouble (£13,000) fine.