Moscow's city government has officially rejected an application to hold a gay pride parade, the mayor's press service said on Tuesday.

"Moscow's authorities have prohibited the gay pride parade due to a number of complaints," Moscow's deputy mayor, Luydmila Shevtsova, said.

Representatives of religious groups, ultra-nationalists and the Moscow City Parent Committee had filed complaints against the parade.

Former Moscow mayor, Yury Luzkhov, who was in power for 18 years before being dismissed by President Dmitry Medvedev in September, famously described gay parades as "satanic". However, the capital's gay community had expressed hope that a parade would be permitted by new mayor Sergei Sobyanin.

Sobyanin said in February he was not in favor of the idea.

In October, the European Court of Human Rights fined Russia for banning gay parades in Moscow. The Strasbourg court said fears that such marches could provoke violence were unfounded and ordered Russia to pay $41,090 in damages and legal fees.

MOSCOW, May 17 (RIA Novosti)