North News

Moscow, November 12

Russia may soon establish a “Ministry of Sex” to address the nation’s declining birth rate, according to Moskvich magazine. The initiative follows various unconventional proposals by Russian officials aimed at increasing the birth rate, as urged by Putin.

According to media reports, Yevgeny Shestopalov, a regional health minister in Russia, has proposed that Russians consider using coffee and lunch breaks at work to focus on “procreation.” Shestopalov remarked, “You can engage in procreation during breaks because life flies by too quickly,” highlighting the urgency behind Russia’s new efforts to reverse its declining birthrate. This suggestion is part of a broader push for innovative solutions to boost the population as Russian leaders explore unconventional measures to address the country’s demographic challenges.

Suggestions include incentives such as switching off the internet and lights from 10 pm to 2 am to encourage intimacy, paying stay-at-home mothers for housework with pension benefits, and offering couples up to 5,000 roubles ($51) for first dates. Another proposal recommends state-funded hotel bookings for newlyweds, capped at 26,300 roubles ($268.60), to encourage family expansion.

In some regions, local incentives have already begun. In Khabarovsk, female students aged 18 to 23 are eligible for a £900 ($1,162) bonus upon childbirth.

Nina Ostanina, a loyalist to Russian President Vladimir Putin and chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Family Protection, Paternity, Maternity, and Childhood, is reportedly considering the petition. The proposed ministry would oversee initiatives to boost population growth, based on a petition by PR agency GlavPR, which is currently under review, the news outlet WION reported.