The Kremlin's official version: the register is intended to help improve medical care and provide a broader picture of the demographic situation in Russia. Newspapers critical of Putin and subject to severe repression come to a different conclusion. In Russia the right to abortion is becoming more and more limited, and the state is taking more and more control over women's private lives.
In many places, actions against abortion clinics and doctors are taking a strange turn. According to Novaya Gazeta, in a gynecological clinic in Yekaterinburg, an employee of the regional Ministry of Health in front of the camera he trampled on the advertising of contraceptives.
Tatyana Savinova, the head of the ministry, also announced that gynecologists in Sverdlovsk will be trained in persuasion techniques to convince patients not to have an abortion.
In several regions, health care workers are reported to be punished for “providing abortion” and rewarded for preventing termination of pregnancy. These are actions that are tantamount to a ban on abortion.
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“The Joy of Motherhood”
Vladimir Putin has commented on this topic in recent days. “There cannot and should be no pressure in this area. The decision to have a child is a personal matter for every family. However, together we must ensure that young people sincerely strive to discover the joy of motherhood,” he said.
There are already plans for how bring this joy closer to young people: in some parts of Russia, pregnant students – and sometimes even pregnant schoolgirls – are to receive 100,000. rubles (at the current exchange rate: PLN 4,500) if they give birth to a child, Novaya Gazeta reports.
One thing is certain: Putin's power apparatus will be massive in the future he interfered in the most personal life decisions of Russian women. The register will make it easier for authorities to monitor pregnant women and even sanction abortion.
Russia has been witnessing a decline in the birth rate for years, which the World Bank says it has reached new low. Last year it was 1.22 children per woman, only slightly higher than in 1999 – a historic low. Experts cite the war in Ukraine and the uncertainty associated with it as the cause.
Woman with a stroller in MoscowYURI KADOBNOV / AFP / AFP
The fight for Russian demography
As part of the national projects launched after the beginning of his fifth term, Putin demanded that the fertility rate be increased to 1.6 by 2030 and to 1.8 by 2036. The authorities included these goals in the demographic strategy developed at the request of the president by several ministries and the Russian Academy of Sciences.
As part of this strategy, officials intend to address strengthening the institution of family and marriage, as well as promoting “traditional family values”: images of large families are to be introduced into advertisements and media content, and state awards will be introduced for grandparents and grandmothers of multi-generational families.
They are also being built in Russia special initiativeswhich encourage pregnant military wives to carry their pregnancies to term, even though the fathers may never return from the front. In the fourth year of the war against Ukraine, the Russian government has increased support for military families. According to calculations by The Moscow Times, in 2025 alone, the presidential foundation allocated approximately 16 million rubles (PLN 731,000 at the current exchange rate) for projects related to soldiers' wives.
This spring, the “Being a Mom” organization received almost 3 million rubles (PLN 137,000) from the presidential foundation for the “From Love” program, which supports pregnant soldiers' wives and widows.
I’m Ashley Davis as an editor, I’m committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in every piece we publish. My work is driven by curiosity, a passion for truth, and a belief that journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse. I strive to tell stories that not only inform but also inspire action and conversation.
