A sinister paedophile ring involving political figures in Russia's main pro-Vladimir Putin party has been exposed, say law enforcement.

Two well connected ex-MPs have been detained and accused of 78 counts of rape, sexual violence and making pornography involving male and female minors.

Ten underage victims were identified aged eight to 17, say investigators, but there are claims that the scale of the ring has been covered up to hide other political figures.

The children were gifted new iPhones or money as 'rewards' in an attempt to buy their silence, according to police.

An unnamed woman aged 20 has been jailed already for supplying her own nephews to the ex-politicians who were named as Vitaly Kurskov, 54, a former regional fuel and power minister, and his ex-MP crony Igor Poplevko, 56, both of the United Russia Party.

These two boys were aged eight and 12. Two schoolgirls aged 15 revealed they were plied with alcohol before being sexually abused by the pair

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6584205/Paedophile-ring-linked-pro-Putin-party-exposed.html