Russian MPs back ban on promoting child-free lives

A law that would ban "propaganda" seeking to promote a child-free lifestyle has cleared its first hurdle in Russia's lower house of parliament, gaining unanimous approval among lawmakers who want to increase the country's birthrate.

- Ashifa Kassam

The new legislation sets out fines for those deemed to be discouraging people from having children, as official data released last month suggested Russia's birthrate had slid to its lowest level in a quarter of a century, exacerbated by an ageing population and Moscow's war in Ukraine.

Individuals could face fines of up to 400,000 roubles (£3,200), while the figure rises to 5m rubles for businesses or entities. Foreign nationals who create content deemed to advocate childlessness could be deported.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the Duma, said: "It is important to protect people, primarily the younger generation, from having the ideology of childlessness imposed on them on the internet, in the media, in movies and in advertising."

Volodin, an ally of Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, cast the bill as part of a "unified legal framework" that seeks to protect children, families and traditional values.