Story by: Sergey Panashchuk, Sub-Editor:Joseph Golder, Agency:Central European News

This birthday picture of a Russian cop in a long purple wig could get him fired for disgracing the force’s uniform despite the fact he was not wearing a uniform.

The photo of the policeman, identified as Artur Yalaev, was taken during a private party at his home to celebrate his birthday before being posted online by his brother.

But his superior officers took a dim view after fellow officers saw the picture that have been posted by his brother.

Officer Yalaaev is now being investigated by his superiors at his base in the city of Ufa in south-western Russia’s Republic of Bashkortostan.

He has been accused of disgracing the police force and its uniform – despite the fact he was not wearing the uniform at the time.

And local media reports Officer Yalaaev could even lose his job over the incident which has sparked a lively debate online.

Netizen ‘Roma Berezin’ asked: “How much does he charge per hour?”, and ‘Marat Saphin’ noted: “His superiors probably did not like the colour.”

But ‘Alexander Shkutkov’ argued: “What you do in your spare time shouldn’t bother anyone”, while ‘Alexander Shkutkov’ said: “Only in Russia can you be fired for a harmless joke.”

Russia is notoriously intolerant of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people who face legal and social challenges not experienced by non-LGBT persons.

Gay sex was decriminalised in 1993, but homosexuals are viewed with contempt by many Russians and there are no laws against discrimination based on sexual orientation.