The unofficial video, filmed by privately funded media group Patriot, revolves around a scene of an orphan boy being adopted by an aspiring parent, only to discover that his future “mother” is, in fact, a man.
The promo clip, that wraps up with a call to vote for the proposed changes to the Constitution, has sparked a heated debate in the country as LGBT activists appealed to the Russian Investigative Committee and the prosecutor's office with a request to conduct a probe into those behind the video, which, in their opinion, “incites hatred and hostility to a group of people on the grounds of belonging to an LGBT social group, degrades the dignity of a person, is openly discriminatory in nature.”
Traditional Family Values
In the meantime, Russia is set for a long-awaited national vote on amendments to the Constitution, suggested earlier this year by President Vladimir Putin. The proposals for the amendments themselves were put forward by a special commission.
Later on, during a meeting on the upcoming constitutional reform in February 2020, Vladimir Putin was asked about calls to enshrine the status of the family as "a union between a man and a woman" in the Constitution, as there is currently no provision on the issue in the basic law.
While underscoring that a union between a man and a woman is called marriage, and that "it’s a bit different with a family", Putin urged a careful approach to the wording, while acknowledging that Russia would not substitute the traditional "mother" and "father" for "parent number 1" and "parent number 2" as long as he remains president.
While the cornerstone of society in the country is still the traditional family, Moscow has repeatedly dismissed accusations of persecuting the LGBT community.
Back in 2013, the country introduced a law banning the propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations towards minors, the legislation entails heavy fines, however, it does not penalise homosexuality itself.