A bill approved in its initial reading by lawmakers in the Duma will forbid “medical interventions aimed at changing the sex of a person” and “the state registration of a change of gender without an operation”.

Pyotr Tolstoy, the deputy speaker of the Russian parliament, stated that the law would “erect a barrier” against what Mr Putin had described as a western threat to the country’s “traditional values”.

Mr Tolstoy, who is the great-great-grandson of Leo Tolstoy, said: “I really want the guys who are now defending the honour of Russia at the cost of their lives [in Ukraine] to return home and see that the country has changed.

“We are all fighting for a new sovereign Russia, as a united front free from western influence.”

According to the Kommersant newspaper, lawmakers are concerned that Russian men may use gender reassignment certificates to evade conscription for the war in Ukraine. “In connection with the special operation, many young people have gone to private clinics for gender reassignment in order to avoid being drafted,” the source said.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the parliamentary speaker, mentioned that there had been 2,700 cases of gender reassignment in Russia, but he did not detail the time frame for the cases. He claimed that for a fee of 30,000 roubles (£280), private clinics would issue such certificates, which could then be used to obtain new identification documents.

While the bill banning sex changes will require approval in two more parliamentary readings, as well as approval from the upper house and Mr Putin, it is very likely to become law.