(CNN) -- Russia's upper house of parliament has approved a controversial measure banning adoption of Russian children by U.S. families, Russian media reported Wednesday. The legislation now goes to President Vladimir Putin to be signed into law, the semiofficial RIA-Novosti news agency said. Read more: Russia's lower house approves bill to ban U.S. adoption The legislation could affect hundreds of American families seeking to adopt. Americans adopted close to 1,000 Russian children last year, according to U.S. State Department figures. Though the number has been dropping in recent years, Russia remains the third most popular country for U.S. citizens to adopt after China and Ethiopia.
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Upper house of parliament OKs ban on adoptions of Russian children by U.S. families
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Lawmakers in Russia's lower house of parliament adopted the bill last week
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The move is seen as retaliation for the Magnitsky Act, a U.S. law that restricts rights abusers
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But backers of the Russian bill say American adoptive parents have been abusive
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