"Sit at home and give birth to more soldiers": Russia says abortions against national interest amid conflict with Ukraine

MOSCOW: After the start of the war with Ukraine, the life of the Russian people has changed dramatically. Even the long-held right to abortion is now being questioned.

Abortion has been legal in Russia for decades. But President Vladimir Putin has announced that abortion should be restricted.

"When a country is at war, it is usually accompanied by this kind of legislation," Leda Garina, a Russian feminist activist exiled in Georgia, told AFP.

The measures, she said, sent a clear message to Russian women: "Sit at home and give birth to more soldiers."

Putin revealed that there are currently 6,17,000 Russian soldiers on the battlefield. 1,500 people join the army every day nationwide. Many regions have rushed to restrict abortions in private clinics, as per the demands from the Russian Orthodox church.

Earlier this month, Putin urged women to have at least eight children and have large families.

According to Russian demographer Victoria Sakevich, the abortion rate in Russia has already decreased tenfold compared to the 1990s.