Kremlin’s Constant Shifts in Direction on Demographic Issues Exacerbating Russia’s Birthrate Problem, Raksha Says

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Nov. 15 – The number of children born in Russia has fallen every year in the last ten and is projected to decline further over the next several years, but as bad as the numbers are, they would be even worse if the government were not spending as much money on maternal capital and child support and talking about introducing paternal capital as well.

            But these programs, as important as they are, would have far greater impact if Moscow introduced them consistently and over the longer term, independent demographer Aleksey Raksha says (tochno.st/materials/v-sleduyushchem-godu-rossiya-ustanovit-antirekord-po-urovnyu-rozhdaemosti-no-eto-ne-ta-demograficheskaya-katastrofa-kotoruyu-vse-ozhidali-razbiraemsya-pochemu-khudshego-ne-sluchilos).

            Unfortunately, however, the government keeps changing direction and now is cutting funding, actions that cause many Russians who might be thinking about having children to decide not to or at least to put off doing so until later. Unless the Putin regime adopts a long-term policy and keeps to it, Moscow’s efforts to improve the demographic situation will fall short.