President Vladimir Putin yesterday backed a tough bill making it illegal for Americans to adopt Russian children in a reprisal for a new US human rights law.

But he also used the first major press conference of his third term to deny running an “authoritarian system” in which all branches of power and most facets of society closely followed the dictates of Kremlin rule.

The controversial legislation, which would end around 1,000 adoptions a year, is the latest sign of the rapid decline in Russia-US relations since Putin’s election in March.

The Bill includes a clause banning any Russian non-government organ-isations that are involved in politics and receive funding from the US.

The State Duma lower house of parliament is due to vote on the Bill in its final reading today before it passes to the upper chamber and then for the President’s signature.

Even senior Government members such as Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have come out against the measure and some media commentators had expected Putin to show a rarely seen humanitarian streak by watering it down.

But the Russian strongman indicated he would sign the ban into law.

“I understand that this was an emotional response by the State Duma, but I think that it was appropriate,” Putin said.

His comments came as the latest reminder of the chilling of relations between the former Cold War foes – a frost that kept President Barack Obama from visiting Russia last year.

Much of the latest mistrust stems from Putin’s often-repeated belief that Washington was responsible for inciting mass protests last winter against the former KGB agent’s return to Russia’s top office.

But modern Russia’s longest-serving politician also used specific examples of US court cases involving his countrymen, which he said showed up the failures of the Western justice system.

The disputed legislation is dubbed the Dima Yakovlev Bill, after a Russian child who suffocated in a locked car during the summer heat in the US in 2008.

Putin complained especially bitterly that US courts had acquitted several Americans of manslaughter charges following the death of Russian children in their care.

“The judges will not even let us attend (the US trials) as observers,” Putin said during the four-and-a-half-hour event at Moscow’s World Trade Centre.

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