Russia has formed “demographic special forces” to tackle its declining birth rate, according to Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matvienko. This initiative includes the creation of a council focused on “family centricity” within government policies, with various proposals aimed at encouraging larger families and increasing the birth rate.
The Presidential Council for the Implementation of State Demographic and Family Policy, approved by President Vladimir Putin and headed by Matvienko, aims to achieve a “fundamental demographic turnaround”. The council possesses broad powers to address the demographic challenges facing the nation.
Several proposals have emerged from the council’s members. Matvienko has advocated for businesses to adopt “corporate demographic standards” and for the government to support families relocating to rural areas by providing housing opportunities. She also co-authored a law banning the propaganda of childfree ideology, linking it to Western feminism, and suggested limiting abortions to cases of rape or medical necessity.
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova has proposed requiring parental consent for abortions for adolescents aged 15–18 and renaming the abortion consent form to a “pregnancy preservation form”. Golikova has also stated that women should have their first child before the age of 24 and establish a family before this age.
Other council members have offered diverse suggestions. Abbess Xenia has called for a constitutional amendment to equate the embryo to a child, granting it legal protection from conception. Mikhail Kuznetsov, from the “People’s Front ‘For Russia’,” proposes developing a domestic car designed for large families that is both affordable and aesthetically pleasing. Irina Kalabikhina from Moscow State University, suggests limiting the construction of small-sized apartments to encourage developers to consider the suitability of housing for families.
In Moscow, Deputy Mayor Anastasia Rakova reported that 150,000 women underwent free fertility checks, an initiative that drew criticism from the head of the Human Rights Council, Valery Fadeev, who questioned the necessity of mass testing. The council comprises 39 members, including regional governors, heads of government agencies, and business leaders.
Beyond the federal initiative, the Governor of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, Gleb Nikitin, announced the creation of “demographic special forces” in his region, focused on pre-abortion counseling services. This service aims to provide support to women considering abortion and encourage them to continue their pregnancies. The program involves targeting women searching for abortion information online and offering them counseling. Ksenia Sobchak criticized the initiative, expressing concerns about government control.