Latest news with #AlexeyRaksha
Miami Herald
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Russia Appears To Be Hiding Its Death Figures
The Russian government has stopped reporting the number of deaths in Russia as the Kremlin is likely keen to conceal Russia's losses from the war in Ukraine, a report says. Rosstat, Russia's state statistics agency, did not report key demographic data in its report for the first five months of 2025, according to independent outlet Meduza. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW), a think tank in Washington, D.C., said in a July 6 update that the Russian government wanted to conceal population data to hide growing demographic problems and high losses in Ukraine. Newsweek has contacted Rosstat for comment. Even before Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia was facing significant demographic challenges amid a plummeting birth rate. These have increased since February 2022 because of huge casualties and the exodus of Russians fleeing the draft, exacerbating a labor shortage that has fueled inflation in the sanctions-hit economy. Reports that Rosstat is trying to hide population data highlight the sensitivity for the Kremlin of the demographic crisis that Russia faces and the instability it may cause. Meduza reported on Saturday that Rosstat's "Socioeconomic Situation in Russia" report published on July 2 did not include demographic data between January and May this year. Electoral statistics researcher Dmitry Kobak said the agency had refused his request for figures from 2024 about male excess mortality and deaths per month, the outlet reported. In May, independent Russian demographer Alexey Raksha wrote on his Telegram channel that Rosstat had ceased publishing detailed population data and omitted figures for births and deaths and monthly data on marriages and divorces. Raksha, whom Russian authorities have declared a foreign agent, reported an absence of demographic statistics since March, adding that Russia may be having its lowest birth rates since the late 18th century. The omission of demographic data in Rosstat's reports is also likely an attempt to conceal the high military losses in Ukraine. As of Monday, Russia had suffered personnel losses of 1,027,540, according to Ukraine's military, a figure that includes those killed and injured. Ukraine's figures are difficult to independently verify, but they are frequently cited by Western officials. The British government said in April that Russia's likely total casualty count since February 2022 was 920,000. Meduza reported that as early as July 2024, Rosstat had begun to restrict death statistics from external causes, which independent journalists had used to calculate the number of Russians killed in the war. Institute for the Study of War reported on Sunday: "Rosstat is concealing population data in an attempt to obfuscate Russia's ongoing demographic problems, and the omission ... likely also aims to obscure the Russian military's high personnel loss rates." Russian demographer Alexey Raksha wrote on Telegram in May: "March (2025) set a record low for the average daily number of births in the Russian Federation." Branislav Slantchev, a professor of political science at the University of California, wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "The Kremlin is desperate to hide two things: the fact that Russia has lost over a quarter of a million soldiers killed in Ukraine, and the fact that the Russians have an abysmal birth rate that is about to crush them over the coming decades." The Kremlin has prioritized addressing Russia's demographic decline, announcing in December a "Strategy of Action" to provide financial incentives for people to have more children in the next five years and plans to ban "childfree ideology." Related Articles Lavrov Lists Russia Demands for Ukraine PeaceCaptive Audience: How Putin Shapes Russian OpinionsDonald Trump Threatens Russia Tariffs as Relationship With Putin WorsensPutin Claims Credit for US Independence 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
Russia Classifies Population Data as Birth Rates Plunge to 200-Year Low
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Russia has moved to classify key demographic statistics following a dramatic collapse in its birth rate, which has plunged to levels not seen since the late 18th or early 19th century, according to a leading Russian demographer. Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry for comment by email. Why It Matters For decades, Russia has been experiencing a plunging birth rate and population decline, which appears to have worsened amid its ongoing invasion of Ukraine—with high casualty rates and men fleeing the country to avoid being conscripted to fight. Projections estimate that Russia's population will fall to about 132 million in the next two decades. The United Nations has predicted that in a worst-case scenario, by the start of the next century, Russia's population could almost halve to 83 million. What To Know Demographer Alexey Raksha, who previously worked with Russia's Federal State Statistics Service (Rosstat), said the agency recently ceased publishing detailed demographic data. In its monthly report published on May 16, Rosstat omitted figures for births and deaths for the most recent reporting period, along with monthly data on marriages and divorces, Raksha said. Of the five demographic tables previously published by Rosstat, only one remained in the latest report. It provided data on births, deaths, marriages and divorces only as a cumulative total from the beginning of the year, he said. "In fact, since March 2025, there have been almost no publicly available demographic statistics in Russia," Raksha wrote. "The level of demographic panic within the government has reached epic proportions," he continued. In March, Raksha said Russia might be seeing its lowest birth rates since the late 1700s. Births dropped by 6 to 7 percent in February and by 3 to 4 percent in March, the demographer said. In the first quarter of 2025, between 293,000 and 294,000 births were registered in Russia—2.4 percent lower than the first quarter of last year, he said. "March 2025 likely recorded the lowest number of births on the territory of today's Russian Federation since the late 18th to early 19th century," Raksha wrote on his Telegram channel. The average number of children per woman remained almost the same in the first quarter, decreasing from 1.432 to 1.431, the demographer said. Russian authorities have restricted access to abortions and contraception and have even offered pregnant women payouts in a bid to encourage the population to have children. In 2023, Valery Seleznev, a member of the Russian State Duma, proposed releasing women convicted of minor charges from prisons so they could conceive. Last year, Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov said reviving the nation's birth rate was one of Russia's "top priorities." He called the situation "catastrophic." What People Are Saying Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said in July: "We live in the largest country in the world. And our numbers are decreasing every year. And this can only be dealt with by increasing the average birth rate." What Happens Next In addition to classifying population data, Russia plans to ban "childfree ideology." On September 1, Roskomnadzor, Russia's telecommunications regulator, is set to implement an order that could affect media such as Game of Thrones, Sex and the City and the Harry Potter franchise.
