Russia Arrests Head of Demographic Institute as Fertility Rate Plunges to Record Low

The director of the “Institute for Demographic Development” in the Russian city of Nizhny Novgorod, Evgeny Zhuravlev, has been arrested after his projects to increase birth rates failed to achieve results, The Moscow Times reported on February 20, citing Russian media.

Zhuravlev, who had been leading the institute since August 2024, is accused of large-scale fraud, with the Moscow District Court placing him in custody until April 17. The investigation is ongoing, but details have not yet been fully disclosed.

Zhuravlev’s arrest follows complaints from two former subordinates, including a project manager and a head of the information department, who accused him of potential corruption within the institute.

The institute, established by the regional government, was tasked with creating measures to support fertility, conducting social research, and promoting “family values,” The Moscow Times wrote.

The backdrop to this scandal is Russia’s continuing demographic crisis, with birth rates falling to their lowest levels in over 200 years. In the first quarter of 2025, births dropped by 4% compared to the previous year, with 288,800 children born. This marks a historic low, according to demographer Alexei Raksha.

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In 2024, Russia saw only 1.22 million births, the lowest figure since 1999, while the natural population decline reached nearly 600,000 people. After this information came to light, the Russian authorities had classified detailed data on birth rates and total population figures, according to The Moscow Times, citing Rossstat  data.

Despite government efforts, such as the “Demography” national project launched in 2018, the country’s birth rate has continued to decrease for the tenth consecutive year.

The fertility rate in December 2025 fell to 1.374, the lowest since 2006. Even births of third or subsequent children, which the government has actively encouraged, have fallen below the level before the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

According to a 2025 survey, one in five families in Russia no longer plans to have children, with the proportion tripling over the past 20 years.

Earlier, Russian leader Vladimir Putin had urged Russians to follow what he described as “Caucasus traditions” of early marriage in an effort to boost the country’s collapsing birth rate.

Putin pointed to families in Russia’s North Caucasus, saying marriages there often take place at a young age and should serve as an example. He cited Chechnya’s leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his large family, arguing that Russians should prioritize starting families earlier rather than delaying childbirth for education, career, or financial stability.

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