Russian President Vladimir Putin Urges Russian Women To Have Eight Or More Children As A New Societal Norm

In a bold move to address Russia’s decreased birth rate, President Vladimir Putin has urged Russian women to have eight or more children and declared large families as a new societal norm.

Russia’s birth rate has steadily decreased since the 1990s, a trend that the Kremlin has long sought to reverse. In a recent speech delivered at the World Russian People’s Council in Moscow, Putin emphasized the need to “preserve and revive” the tradition of large families, where “four, five or more children are raised.” He drew inspiration from the past, reminding the audience that in Russian families, grandmothers and great-grandmothers often had as many as seven or eight children.

This call comes amid the staggering human toll of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which has resulted in over 300,000 Russian casualties, according to data maintained by Kyiv earlier this month. Earlier this month, the UK’s Ministry of Defence said the number of dead Russian soldiers in Ukraine had likely crossed 300,000.

The conference, led by the head of Russia’s Orthodox church, Patriarch Kirill, and attended by representatives of other traditional religious organizations, underscored the government’s efforts to promote a pro-birthing agenda. The theme of the event, “The Present and Future of the Russian World,” further highlighted the Kremlin’s desire to bolster the country’s demographic profile.

The Russian president’s call for increased fertility rates is not a new initiative. Over the past 24 years, he has implemented various government incentives, which include financial rewards for families with more than one child. However, according to data from Rosstat, Russia’s federal statistics service, these measures have yielded minimal to no effect.

As the ongoing conflict in Ukraine has worsened Russia’s demographic challenges, the invasion has forced the Kremlin to order partial conscription; reports suggest that Moscow aims to mobilize up to one million reservists. This has led to an estimated 820,000-920,000 people fleeing Russia. The conflict has also resulted in a severe workforce shortage and an increased economic slowdown due to the sanctions imposed by the West.

Putin‘s comments, however, did not directly address the scale of casualties suffered by Russian troops in the invasion of Ukraine, a topic that has been a source of contention and public concern within the country.

The Russian population was reported to be 146,447,424 as of January 1, a figure lower than the population in 1999 when Putin first assumed the presidency.