It appears Michael Cook isn’t alone in paying attention to Russian demographic trends. The Daily Telegraph in London is hosting an online supplement on Russia from Rossiyskaya Gazeta. Writer Sergei Balashov takes on the issue of Russian depopulation, not from a position that this issue will change Mother Russia into a frozen caliphate but that Russia’s declining population will leave few workers to care for the elderly or the young.  

"Even more troubling is that the number of able-bodied adults is declining faster than any other demographic category. This group is expected to absorb the bulk of the losses, declining by 14m by 2025. According to the RBC daily, in 16 years every 1,000 employed Russians are going to be providing for some 800 dependents."

Like many politicians in the West, some Russian politicians evidently think immigration can solve the problem brought about by decades of empty cradles. Yet Balashov cites experts that disagree with this notion. In the end he says, it is, or it should be about the children.

“The public should show more love for children, families with two or more children should get the most favourable treatment in this country,” said Evgeny Yuriev, the president of the ATON Capital Group and an expert on Russia’s demographics. “The government should adopt this attitude and act accordingly. The goal here is to change this mindset.”

Read the whole thing here.