Valentina Matviyenko, the speaker of the Federation Council, expressed in a Tuesday interview that Russians should reevaluate their perspectives on early parenthood, promoting it as the “standard” in light of government efforts to combat the nation’s declining population.

“I believe the primary challenge concerning demographics is to shift our mentality,” Matviyenko stated in an interview with the pro-Kremlin publication, Moskovsky Komsomolets. “A successful individual should be regarded as someone who has a loving, close-knit, and sizable family.”

“Parenting should be seen as something trendy. It should be commonplace to have children shortly after reaching adulthood, rather than waiting until the ages of 28 or 29, which is prevalent now,” she further mentioned.

Russia is currently experiencing a declining birth rate, a natural population decrease, and increasing male mortality rates. In 2024, the number of births in Russia was 1.22 million, a modest increase compared to the record low of 1.21 million in 1999.

The government has enacted various measures to cope with the demographic crisis, such as enhancing financial support for families, enforcing restrictions on abortion, and advocating for “traditional values” among youth. However, these efforts have yet to yield a reversal of the declining trend.

Since July, Matviyenko has been leading what she calls a “demographic special forces unit,” a group of officials focused on developing strategies to tackle the issue of low birth rates.

In her interview with Moskovsky Komsomolets, Matviyenko acknowledged that there are limits to the financial incentives that the government can offer to encourage childbearing. She argued that a more comprehensive approach is necessary, which should encompass “systematic efforts to nurture and affirm traditional values alongside appropriate moral and spiritual guidance.”

“Without this, it simply won’t be effective,” she concluded.