Russian deputies tabled a bill on Monday, August 1, aimed at prohibiting nationals of "
unfriendly
" countries from adopting children in Russia, at a time when tensions between Westerners and Moscow are at their height.
The proposal, which appeared on the website of the Duma, the lower house of parliament, aims to broaden the scope of a 2012 law banning Americans from adopting Russian children and make it enforceable against citizens of countries perpetrators of "
unfriendly
" actions towards Russia.
Read alsoRussia wants to restrict access to nationals of “unfriendly” countries
The Russian government has responded to the sanctions imposed to punish its military offensive in Ukraine, by extending this list of “
unfriendly countries
”.
It now includes the United States, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Norway, Taiwan and all members of the European Union.
To enter into force, the bill must be passed after three readings in the lower house of Parliament, then by the Council of the Federation, the upper house, and be promulgated by President Vladimir Putin, these last two stages not being usually just a formality.
Read alsoRussia puts the United States and the Czech Republic on a list of “unfriendly” countries
In 2012, Moscow banned the adoption of Russian children by Americans in reaction to Washington's sanctions against senior officials involved in the death in custody, in Russia, of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky in 2009. This law made reduce the number of adoptions.
According to the state-run TASS news agency, 240 Russian children were adopted by foreigners in 2019, up from 2,604 in 2012.
