Russians Shun Putin’s Plea for Babies as Population Shrinks

Pedestrians in Red Square in Moscow.Photographer: Sefa Karacan/Anadolu/Getty Images
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Russia’s population is declining at its quickest pace since the Covid-19 pandemic, even after President Vladimir Putin declared that a demographic turnaround is the country’s most important priority.

Russia recorded the lowest number of births last year in a quarter of a century, while the number of deaths increased for the first time since the height of the pandemic in 2021.