MOSCOW, August 1. /TASS/. A group of State Duma lawmakers introduced a bill barring foreign citizens of unfriendly states from adopting Russian orphans and children without parental care and giving them under guardianship, according to the lower house's database.
The bill was authored by Leonid Slutsky, leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), and lawmakers Boris Chernyshov (LDPR), Dmitry Pevtsov (New People), Nina Ostanina (CPRF), and Yana Lantratova (A Just Russia - For Truth). The MPs suggest introducing amendments to Russia’s Family Code. "The bill proposes a ban on the adoption and guardianship of Russian orphans and children left without parental care by citizens of foreign states that are on the list of countries and territories that commit unfriendly acts against the Russian Federation approved by the Russian government," the explanatory note to the bill said.
The authors of the initiative believe that the transfer of children from the Russian Federation "for upbringing in unfriendly countries is a blow to the future of the nation." According to the lawmakers, as of the beginning of 2021, there were 17,498 orphans raised by foreign adoptive parents. In total, there were 455,866 orphans raised by Russian citizens. According to the explanatory note, "in 2021, 69 orphans (including 7 disabled children) were adopted by foreign citizens, in 2020 - 38 orphans (including 3 disabled children), in 2017 - 380 orphans (including 38 disabled children)."
The documents attached the draft law do not provide an official response from the Russian government.