KIEV, May 26 - About 100 activists have staged Ukraine's first gay pride march in the capital Kiev, ignoring a court ban, BBC reported Sunday.

"This can be considered a historic day," Olena Semenova, one of the organizers, said.

Police arrested 13 people for trying to break up the rally - in a country where homophobia is widespread and generally accepted.

In neighboring Russia, more than 20 gay activists were detained by police at an unsanctioned rally in Moscow.