Occupants stimulate the birth rate in the TOT to strengthen claims to the territory - ISW
Kyiv • UNN
Russian occupation authorities are implementing programs to increase the birth rate in the TOT in order to create the illusion of the superiority of the Russian population. This is done to justify the illegal claims of the Russian Federation to these lands.
Russian occupation authorities in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine (TOT) are implementing projects to increase the birth rate in order to stimulate population growth and promote Russia's illegal claims to the occupied territories. This is stated in the material of the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), reports UNN.
Details
It is noted that the occupation head of the Zaporizhzhia region, Yevhen Balytskyi, recently approved a regional program to increase the birth rate in the region.
The specifics of the proposed regional program are unclear, but Balytskyi's proposal is consistent with other projects that Russian occupation officials have launched to encourage population growth in the occupied territories
They also point out that the occupation head of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, said that Russia plans to restore all kindergartens in the occupied Kherson region by 2030, and build 55 new preschools for 6,700 children by 2044. He noted that the planned new preschools are "designed for population growth."
Russia has been experiencing a demographic crisis for several decades, caused by declining birth rates, low life expectancy, high emigration rates, and an aging population. The war in Ukraine has exacerbated many of these factors, but Russia continues to try to stimulate population growth to overcome existing and new demographic challenges
They emphasize that Russia's occupation of Ukraine is partly aimed at compensating for the demographic decline of the Russian Federation, as it views Ukrainian citizens as a demographic asset that can be forcibly integrated into the Russian Federation.
"Higher birth rates in the occupied territories mean that the Russian occupation authorities will issue more Russian passports and educate generations of children under Russian rule, which ultimately creates the false impression that Russia has a right to these illegally occupied territories due to the predominance of Russian citizens living there," the analysts summarize.
Recall
According to ISW, Russia is expanding the production and development of drones, using infrastructure and people in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. Factories and training centers are integrated into the Russian system.