Russia's desperate scramble to stave off demographic catastrophe

Russia has moved in recent weeks to push for the adoption of a number of measures to avert a severe demographic crisis that has been compounded by President Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine.

Valery Seleznyov, a member of the Russian State Duma, last week proposed releasing women convicted of minor charges from prisons so they can conceive. There have also been recent attempts to restrict abortion, which is at present legal and widely available in Russia.