Uncovering the full picture of the demographic situation in Russia is becoming increasingly difficult after the aggressor state stopped publishing monthly population statistics amid the losses it is suffering during the Kremlin's aggressive war against Ukraine. This is reported by Bloomberg, writes UNN.
Details
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has made it a priority to overcome population decline. But assessing progress is complicated by the authorities' control over the flow of information, particularly regarding losses in the fighting against Ukraine, which is now in its fourth year.
Last week, the Federal State Statistics Service published a socio-economic report for the first five months of this year without the traditional section on demography. The latest available data refer to the first quarter of 2025, when the number of deaths in the country as a whole significantly exceeded the number of births.
Starting from March 2025, there is almost no public demographic statistics. Full statistics are available only to state experts who analyze it with the stamp "for official use only"
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Russia's losses in the war against Ukraine
Russia does not disclose data on losses in the war, and estimates vary. While Western sources cite a figure of about 1 million, some Russian sources estimate it at about 200,000.
Last year, the birth rate fell to 1.22 million people — the lowest level since 1999. At the same time, mortality increased by 3.3% annually to 1.82 million, according to data published by Rosstat earlier this year. The pace of population decline accelerated by about 20% compared to 2023, partly due to the war.
Russia consistently closes demographic statistics. In 2020, during the Covid pandemic, Rosstat stopped publishing operational data on mortality by cause.
Since the beginning of the aggressive war in 2022, the service has reduced the detail of mortality statistics. In May 2025, Rosstat stopped publishing birth rate data and other demographic statistics.
Annual data may still become available, but the decision to stop publishing monthly information limits the possibilities for analysis, according to independent demographer Igor Efremov. Demographic data, which were hidden in the late 1960s or early 1970s in the Soviet Union due to declining life expectancy, became available again only in the late 1980s, he said.
It is difficult to say how long the data will be closed. In this case, all unavailable data may be published a year after the end of military operations
Addition
Analysis of satellite images shows that Russia is using the remnants of Soviet armored vehicles, which need restoration, for the war against Ukraine. The value of this resource is decreasing, the enemy is switching to motorcycles and buggies.