He spoke out after the Federation Council, the Russian parliament’s upper chamber, voted in favour of the so called Dima Yakovlev bill, a retaliatory response to the US Magnitsky Law imposing a travel ban to the US for Russian officials implicated in the death of lawyer Sergey Magnitsky.

“We encourage the government to establish a robust national social protection plan to help strengthen Russian families. Alternatives to the institutionalization of children are essential, including permanent foster care, domestic adoption and inter-country adoption,” says the official statement published on the agency’s website.

The bill is yet to be signed into law by the Russian president, but he already made it clear he will do it.

Sources: http://www.rbcdaily.ru http://www.unicef.org