Russian President Urges Citizens To Have 'At Least Two Children': 'If We Want To Survive As An Ethnic Group'

In a recent address, Russian President Vladimir Putin has called upon families in Russia to have more children. He cited the preservation of the nation’s ethnic identity as the primary reason behind this appeal.

What Happened: Putin, during a speech at a tank factory in the Urals region, stressed the need for each family to have at least two children. He warned that a single-child family would lead to a decline in the population, and for growth and development, reported Reuters.

“If we want to survive as an ethnic group – well, or as ethnic groups inhabiting Russia – there must be at least two children,” Putin said.

This call for larger families comes amid Russia’s ongoing conflict with Ukraine, which has led to a significant, though undisclosed, number of casualties and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee the country.

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Putin, a staunch supporter of “traditional values” based on family, nation, and the Orthodox Christian faith, has been in power for 24 years. His tenure has seen strict limitations on expressions of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Post the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia’s population has been on a decline for two decades, further worsened by chronic issues like alcoholism. As per the state statistics bureau, the population was estimated at 146.4 million at the start of 2023, down from nearly 149 million 20 years earlier.

Why It Matters: This isn’t the first time Putin has made such an appeal. In November, Putin urged Russian women to bear up to eight children as the country faced a population crisis worsened by the Ukraine war. In February 2023, he also restored a Soviet-era award, the “Mother Heroine,” to incentivize women to have more children.

Such calls for a population boost are not unique to Russia. Similar concerns have been raised by Elon Musk in the U.S. In China, women are reportedly defying government calls for larger families due to rising child-rearing costs.

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Vladimir Putin Photo by Frederic Legrand – COMEO on Shutterstock