Authorities are giving school-age girls in the northern region of Oryol a one-time settlement of 100, 000 rubles, or about Rs 1 million, in a bid to combat Russia’s declining beginning level.
The decision was made in response to the large military costs that were reported to have occurred in Ukraine, where 250 000 Russian soldiers have reportedly lost their lives.
The initiative, which was made public by Andrei Klychkov, Oryol’s provincial government, expanded an already successful program that offers financial aid to motherhood students. Girls who complete “full-time training” at local schools, vocational schools, and universities will then also be eligible for the payment, under the new regulations.
The Oryol administration’s web last week confirmed that the payments will be made between 2025 and 2027, and a decree amending the plan was posted. After independent press shop 7 7 Horizontal Russia highlighted the shift on Telegram, the statement immediately sparked backlash.
Klychkov criticized the media for sensationalizing his statement, insisting that he had just complied with Kremlin instructions.
However, journalists did not specify that there is a letter from the Russian Ministry of Labor dated February 11, 2025,” On acceptance of scientific recommendations for the implementation of measures of local programs to improve the birth rate, content to co-financing from the national budget,” he wrote on Telegram.
The government also argued that no girls in the area now qualify for the payments and that the policy should serve as a form of encouragement for younger mothers rather than an attempt to encourage teen pregnancy.
In such a scenario, “young girls frequently make controversial choices,” according to Klychkov. Since this has already occurred, our task is to help them and to help keep the mother’s health and the child’s lives.
According to the New York Post, he more urged the public to view the measure as” an additional form of social support” as opposed to a disturbing headline.
The World Bank claims that Russia is in crisis because of its low birth rate of only 1.42 children per woman and rising deaths costs.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also been advocating for bigger people, calling for at least three children among women, and referring to” child-free” habits as an “extremist ideology.”
Russia has suffered around 900,000 deaths since the war began in February 2022, including a third of a million incidents, according to the UK government’s ministry of defense, which added to the issue.
