this post was submitted on 20 May 2025
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Russia has moved to classify key demographic statistics following a dramatic collapse in its birth rate, which has plunged to levels not seen since the late 18th or early 19th century, according to a leading Russian demographer.

For decades, Russia has been experiencing a plunging birth rate and population decline, which appears to have worsened amid its ongoing invasion of Ukraine—with high casualty rates and men fleeing the country to avoid being conscripted to fight.

Projections estimate that Russia's population will fall to about 132 million in the next two decades. The United Nations has predicted that in a worst-case scenario, by the start of the next century, Russia's population could almost halve to 83 million.

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[–] [email protected] 92 points 17 hours ago* (last edited 17 hours ago) (12 children)

…Wow.

So what’s the tankie angle to this? From that perspective, the war is objectively awful for Russia, even if all the stated war goals are true.

[–] [email protected] 45 points 14 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (2 children)

The tankie angle is that it’s NATO’s fault. Would never have happened if mean old west hadn’t invaded Ukraine and genocided Russian-speakers who are ethnically and linguistically identical to Ukrainians but also totally different and superior but also must be defended by daddy Vladdy.

And also Ukraine is an inseparable part of Russia, especially Crimea. Khrushchev was only kidding when he gave Crimea to Ukraine, which isn’t a real country.

And the west totally broke its verbal promise that no one’s ever heard to never allow another country into NATO. But The Budapest Memorandum wasn’t worth the paper it was written on. For some reason.

You just don’t understand Russian history. Russia has a very long memory. When it comes to grievances. Theirs.

You’re just russophobic.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago) (1 children)

I don't think I've ever gotten one of them to even acknowledge the Budapest memorandum.

Though I do like to point out that they're the biggest western chauvinists ever if they genuinely think NATO somehow forced putin into emptying Russia's soviet stocks of vehicles and ammo in the most disastrous invasion in recent history.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 7 hours ago* (last edited 7 hours ago)

Right? It makes Afganistan (the Soviet and US one) look like nothing. A calamity doesnt even begin to describe it.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago)

Ugh, you said that way too well.

Still (again, rolling with the reasoning), it's an existential problem, no matter who's fault it is or how much of a victim they are or how much fatalism they've accepted...

[–] [email protected] 67 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

The beloved and benevolent putin is merely protecting the country from the overpopulation seen in the west.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 17 hours ago (2 children)

There's no overpopulation in the west. Fertility rates are too low to maintain the current population.

[–] [email protected] 62 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Well, they didn't say the angle had to be factual.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 16 hours ago

You got that right!

[–] [email protected] 8 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

That's why they want all of the immigrants out, they are taking over the white numbers. It's all fucking racism.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 16 hours ago

Yes. If they get people angry at immigrants "taking over their land" then the people ignore the real problem (the wealthy elite).

[–] [email protected] 41 points 16 hours ago

So what’s the tankie angle to this?

“Sure this news is bad, but what about this non sequitur?”

[–] [email protected] 21 points 16 hours ago (2 children)

"see! Putin is pro environment! Less people is better!"

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 hours ago

"Can't have racism if there are no remaining races!"

[–] [email protected] 16 points 16 hours ago

Ah, the Genghis Khan defence. Bold move!

[–] [email protected] 11 points 16 hours ago

war is always bad for the working class. nothing new here.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

Even a victory is strategic defeat for Russia.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 hours ago

Honestly, few things are more Russian than being defeated.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 17 hours ago (1 children)

The takeaway is that the already catastrophic demographic issues they were facing are becoming pointedly worse because of how they’re conducting the war, amongst other things

[–] [email protected] 5 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Are you really claiming that sending healthy young men into the meat grinder is detrimental to birth rates? No wonder why they need to kidnap Ukranian children.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 hours ago

I don't think they need to, they just recognized an opportunity to get better children without having to figure out how to make better ones themselves.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 16 hours ago

It's all a consequence of Western decadence, of course.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 16 hours ago

Tankie angle: Any nation that becomes wealthy has the issue of declining birth rates. Putin is just soooooooooo great of a leader, he made every single Russian a trillionaire over night. Everything is better under Putin. Why can’t you see the objective truth? Russia is better than any other nation. That’s why I live in Europe and never intend to return. I don’t see the problem here. Banned for being a reactionary pig. Give money to me.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 16 hours ago (4 children)

Tf does tankie even mean at this point? As a communist, I'm not on the side of any state, I'm on the side of the people dying needlessly in both countries. Anyone who identifies themselves as a communist and has more than 2 brain cells should know that this isn't a football match where you root for your favorite team. Aside from the fact that russia isn't the USSR anymore anyway, it's just another capitalist country. Both governments suck but the Ukrainian one wasn't at fault for this war at all.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 hour ago

Both governments suck

lmao

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 hours ago* (last edited 4 hours ago)

it looks like thier content, is more like conservatives than not, probably a con disguised as someone on the left?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 9 hours ago* (last edited 9 hours ago)

"Tankie" means "person who, in a confrontation between citizens and tanks, roots for the tanks". It's more a reference to a person's underlying authoritarianism rather than communism per se. The main reason it's conflated with communism/marxism is because capitalism has, conceptually, staked a claim to the protectorship of individualism, which is assumed to be desirable. And because this claim is unchallenged, anything which stands against capitalism is assumed to therefore be inherently authoritarian. There is some merit to this claim and these assumptions, but to what extent, I couldn't say. I'm not that smart.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 16 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago) (1 children)

I mean, billions of people would disagree with you. Many would say Ukraine and their western backers are at fault.

But theoretically, I am struggling to picture how Russia’a war goals (again, accepting every reason for its continuation from Russia) could possibly be beneficial to Russia, and the um oppressed Ukrainian people, in light of this measurable effect on demographics. Whatever the reason for Russia staying in Ukraine is, even with the most extreme sympathetic view of Russia and their position, it is clearly not worth it, and they should just capitulate an pull out for their own benefit.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 12 hours ago

and they should just capitulate an pull out for their own benefit.

Sounds like they're already pulling out too much.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 14 hours ago

They would probably agree