The numbers of Russian children being adopted by foreign nationals last year dropped significantly in St. Petersburg, the Rosbalt website reports.
In 2015, 71 children were adopted from orphanages by foreigners, according to St. Petersburg Ombudsman for Children's Rights Svetlana Agapitova.
By contrast, in 2016 only 17 children were adopted by foreigners.
Those children were adopted by parents from France, Italy and Israel, all countries which have bilateral agreements on adoption with Russia.
The number of Russian adoptions in St. Petersburg is also falling. In 2014, 213 children were adopted by Russian parents. In 2015, that number dropped to 166. By 2016, only 108 children were adopted by Russians.
Instance of foreign adoption may return to their former levels if Russian authorities decide to scrap a 2012 decree which bans adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens.