Putin aide calls for restraint

MOSCOW - Moscow should "temper emotions" over the death of a Russian boy adopted by an American family, President Vladimir V. Putin's spokesman said Friday after the U.S. ambassador urged Russian authorities and the media to stop their "sensational exploitations" of the case.

Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the harsh statements by Russian officials and lawmakers were driven by the "zero tolerance" of Russians to the deaths of children adopted by Americans. Still, he acknowledged it's too early to know the cause of the Jan. 21 death in West Texas of 3-year-old Max Shatto, born Maxim Kuzmin.

The Medical Examiner's Office in West Texas has not officially pronounced the cause of death and presented only early results, but its report of bruises on Max's body - although their origin has not been established - has prompted some Russians to jump to conclusions.

Russian children's rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov branded Max's death a "killing" by his adoptive mother, Laura Shatto. The State Duma's petition to the U.S. Congress on Friday said the death is "connected to the fact of violence" by the Shattos.

The Russian theory that the boy was killed has topped the news on state-controlled media, which have used the case to justify Russia's Dec. 28 move to ban all adoptions by Americans. The ban sparked criticism abroad and a protest rally in Moscow.

U.S. Ambassador Michael McFaul said he was "troubled by how my people and my country are being portrayed by some in the Russian press."

"It is time for sensational exploitations of human tragedy to end and for professional work between our two countries to grow, on this issue and many others," he wrote in a blog post Friday.

Texas authorities said this week that Shatto told them she found the boy unconscious on the ground outside the family's home, where he had been playing with his brother.