Moscow says it's working to ‘protect’ Russian orphans from adoption by samesex couples

Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs will work to prevent the adoption of Russian children by samesex families, said the Ministry’s commissioner for human rights, democracy, and rule of law, Konstantin Dolgov, according to whom the Foreign Ministry and Ministry of Education and Science are currently in the process of signing bilateral agreements on international adoption with various foreign countries, with an agreement with Israel being on the horizon.

Dolgov specified that all of these agreements have “meticulous and scrupulous” legislative barriers preventing the adoption of Russian children by samesex families—a trend, he said, that's “unfortunately gaining momentum in pseudo-liberal circles in the West.”

“We are working attentively to ensure that appropriate barriers are in place and that they are scrupulously followed by our partners,” Dolgov said. He called the “protection of traditional family values” a priority and said that the Foreign Ministry would work with numerous platforms, including the United Nations, to ensure that this priority is respected.

“Russia will never weaken its efforts to protect the rights of Russian children abroad, regardless of the external or geopolitical situation,” Dolgov said.

Addressing Russian citizens abroad, he said, “Please do the maximum to study the laws and customs of your countries of permanent residence,” encouraging parents to protect their children from the consequences of being exposed to families that are structured in a non-traditional manner.

Dolgov also made clear that Russia has no intention of lifting the ban preventing Americans from adopting Russian children.

At a meeting presided by Putin on the question of implementing national strategies for the protection of children, Dolgov said it was important to engage in a dialogue with the United States “on the problems faced by [Russian] children [who are] adopted by United States citizens.”

“Unfortunately, in order to reinstate the adoption of Russian children by United States citizens, we would have put forward [some] preconditions,” said Dolgov. “We do not see any reassuring movement in this direction from the American side, so we will stand firmly,” said the diplomat.