Russia plans to direct childless women to counseling services for evaluation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is taking a new approach to addressing the country's demographic crisis, with new health guidelines that include referring women who do not want children to psychologists, as seen in a photo by Vyacheslav OSELEDKO / AFP.

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This move is part of a broader effort to boost the country's dwindling birth rate, which has been a major concern for President Putin during his 25-year rule, particularly with hundreds of thousands of young men sent to the front in Ukraine over the last four years.

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Under the new guidelines from the health ministry for reproductive health checks, doctors will inquire about a woman's desired number of children, and if she responds with zero, a consultation with a medical psychologist is recommended to foster a positive attitude towards having children.

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The health ministry's recommendations, approved in late February, were only recently reported by state media, highlighting the Kremlin's ongoing efforts to address the demographic crisis.

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President Putin has framed Russia's shrinking population as a matter of national survival, warning that the country faces "extinction" if birth rates are not increased, as he cautioned in 2024.

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Russia's current birth rate stands at a 200-year low of approximately 1.4 children per woman, significantly below the 2.1 threshold deemed necessary by demographers for a stable population.

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In an effort to encourage larger families, Moscow has implemented stricter abortion regulations and introduced legislation making "child-free propaganda" illegal, while also offering financial and social benefits to large families, hailing them as national heroes.