WATCH: Shocking Holocaust-themed ice skating routine on Russian TV show
A HOLOCAUST-THEMED ice skating routine, featuring contestants dressed as concentration camp prisoners, has left people shocked and disgusted after it aired on a Russian reality TV series.
The wife of Vladimir Putin's aide ice skates in a Holocaust-themed routine
Wife of Putin aide's HOLOCAUST-themed performance
The dance performed on Ice Age - the country’s equivalent of Dancing on Ice or Strictly Come Dancing - saw the wife of President Vladimir Putin’s aide Dmitry Peskov and actor Andrey Burkovsky skating in striped pyjamas featuring the Star of David.
Former Olympic skating champion Tatiana Navka and her partner Burkovsky drew criticism after they did the routine last night to Israeli singer Achinoam “Noa” Nini’s song Beautiful That Way.
The track is from the Oscar-winning film Life Is Beautiful, which looks at the horrors of the Second World War and the atrocities committed by Hitler.
Many people have hit out at the routine after it aired on Russia’s state-owned Channel 1.
Comedienne and actress Sarah Silverman was left appalled by the dance and posted to her 9.3 million Twitter followers: “Oh those whacky Holocaust victims (OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD).”
While American presenter Al Bernstein responded to her tweet, saying: “This is incomprehensible.”
The wife of Vladimir Putin's aide ice skates in a Holocaust-themed routine
Actor Andrey Burkovsk ice skates in a Holocaust-themed routine
Oh those whacky Holocaust victims (OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD)
Another Twitter user posted: “Unbelievable, I've seen it all now” and a fourth person wrote: “What's the Russian word for disgustingly insensitive?”
Ice Age sees Russian celebrities partnered with professional figure skaters, who battle it out each week on the rink.
Following the performance Navka shared photographs from the show on her Instagram page along with a caption in Russian.
The wife of President Vladimir Putin’s aide Dmitry Peskov and actor Andrey Burkovsky perform
The wife of President Vladimir Putin’s aide Dmitry Peskov and actor Andrey Burkovsky perform
When translated, Navka said in the caption: “Based on one of my favourite movies, 'Life is beautiful!'' Show this movie to your children.”
She added: “Our children need to know and remember that terrible time, which I hope, God willing, they will never know!”
Despite the controversy from the wider world, it appears from the clip shared on the programme’s official YouTube page that the routine was well-received by the audience.