Massive losses in the war against Ukraine have deepened Russia's demographic crisis to a critical level. Against this backdrop, the Kremlin has intensified propaganda for large families, introduced payments for pregnant schoolgirls, and increased pressure on women and doctors, UNN reports, citing information from the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
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According to available data, the birth rate in Russia in 2025 was 1.37 children per woman, while the minimum necessary level for population reproduction is estimated at 2.1. Against the backdrop of a deteriorating demographic situation, the Russian authorities, as noted, are reorienting the propaganda machine towards reproductive pressure.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the number of publications about large families in Russian media, according to the Foreign Intelligence Service, has increased sevenfold. At the same time, advertising campaigns calling for childbirth are being spread in the country's cities. Such messages do not focus on supporting families or the value of parenthood, but on manipulative messages aimed at pressuring women.
The Russian authorities are placing a special emphasis on teenage births. In a number of Russian regions, including from Altai to Bryansk, payments ranging from 100,000 to 150,000 rubles are being introduced for pregnant schoolgirls in 2025-2026.
At the same time, according to the data provided, pressure on the medical community is also increasing in Russia. In particular, the "Women for Life" foundation conducted so-called "control purchases of abortions," checking how actively doctors dissuade patients from the procedure. Information materials also use slogans such as "Protect me today, and I will protect you tomorrow," which effectively links childbirth to the future replenishment of the army.