Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed new legislation, which marked the final step in outlawing gender-change procedures.

The bill, which Putin signed on Monday and was approved unanimously by both houses of parliament, bans any "medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person".

It also bans "changing one’s gender in official documents and public records." The only exception will be medical intervention to treat congenital anomalies.

It also annuls marriages where one person has "changed gender" and bars transgender people from becoming foster or adoptive parents.

The ban is said to stem from the Kremlin’s crusade to protect the country’s "traditional values."

Lawmakers say the legislation is to safeguard Russia against "Western anti-family ideology."

In 2013, the Kremlin adopted legislation that banned any public endorsement of "nontraditional sexual relations" among minors.

In 2020, Putin pushed through constitutional reform that outlawed same-gender marriage, and last year signed a law banning "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relations" among adults as well.