Putin Promises Extra Money for Children in Ageing Russia

President Putin has pledged extra support to families with children in his annual ‘speech from the throne in the Russian parliament.

There will be a one-off payment of 10,000 rubles for every child in a family up to a certain age. The money will be transferred in August, shortly before the Russian parliamentary elections.

Russia already has a monthly child benefit for young children, but there is now a child benefit of about 5000 rubles per month per child for the age group 8-16 years. Putin has also announced the construction of 1,300 schools, enough for one million children.

Russia has had hardly any population growth for decades. This is attributed to the lack of purchasing power in many couples. Population ageing threatens to become a significant problem.

Last year the population even shrank by half a million. Putin therefore also pointed out the importance of corona vaccinations. He wants the population to acquire group immunity in the fall, and he says that can be done if the Russians just get vaccinated.

Despite the dangers to public health, there is currently very little enthusiasm for this