Putin offers $16,000 to women to have 10 or more kids to repopulate Russia

Russian President Vladimir Putin is offering financial benefits to women who have ten or more children in order to reverse the country's demographic crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war. 

Experts describe the initiative, which includes a one-time payment of £13,500 ($16,000)  to give birth to and raise ten children, as a desperate attempt.

According to The Moscow Times, Russian President Vladimir Putin has reinstated an award instituted by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin to encourage women to have more children.

According to a decree signed by Putin on Monday, qualifying mothers will receive a one-time payment of 1 million rubles (approximately Rs 13,12,000 or $16,000) when their tenth living child turns one year old, the report further added.

The development comes after Russia reported its highest number of daily coronavirus cases since March this year, while estimates of how many soldiers have died in Ukraine are nearing 50,000.

Dr Jenny Mathers, a Russian politics and security expert, spoke to Times Radio broadcaster Henry Bonsu about the new Russian reward scheme known as Mother Heroine, which Putin announced as a measure to replenish a dwindling population. According to Dr. Mathers, Putin has asserted that people with large families are more patriotic.

The Mother Heroine award, which dates back to the Soviet era, is given to mothers who have ten or more children, according to Bonsu. It's an effort to address Russia's demographic issue, which the conflict in Ukraine has made worse.

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