Putin Asks Russian Women To Have ‘8 Or More’ Children

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, made a shocking statement while addressing the World Russian People’s Council in Moscow, the capital of Russia, on Tuesday. His statement was slammed by women’s rights activists and other female leaders.

In a blow to women’s rights, Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin asked Russian women to have more than 8 children. However, women have rights to their own bodies and they can make their own decisions.

Vladimir Putin asked Russian women to give birth to eight children and make large families the “norm” in Russia. He further said that increasing the Russian population would be women’s “goal for the coming decades and even generations ahead.”

He said while addressing the council via video link on Tuesday, “Let us remember that Russian families, many of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers had seven, eight, or even more children. Let us preserve and revive these excellent traditions.”

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Russia’s birth rate

Russia’s birth rate has been declining since the 1990s. In July this year, 110,500 children were born in Russia, the lowest birth rate recorded for the month since 1945. Earlier this year, the country’s population stood at 146,447,424 people. An estimated 820,000-920,000 people have also fled Russia. The country is also suffering because of severe workforce shortage. 

Russia also suffered more than 300,000 casualties since the start of the Ukraine War. Russia continues to lose its soldiers in the ongoing war. According to the UK Defence Ministry, 300,000 Russian soldiers were killed in action in the war with Ukraine.

The Russian President urged Russian public organizations and traditional religions to expand families. 

The Russian President publicly acknowledged having only two children with his wife. However, according to sources, he has multiple children from his previous love affairs with millionaire Svetlana Krivonogikh and Olympic gold medal-winning gymnast Alina Kabaeva.

Speaking further at the conference, he said, “I would like to emphasize that the Russian world and Russia itself do not and cannot exist without Russians as an ethnicity.”

The Russia-Ukraine war has entered its second winter this year. Thousands of people are being killed everyday.